


Throw Me To The Wolves

by sheryl_sems



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Bellarke, Hidden/Mysterious Island Fic, Linctavia - Freeform, Minor Monty Green/Nathan Miller, Stranded on an Island, Wolves, bellarke AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-06
Updated: 2017-11-06
Packaged: 2018-04-25 05:06:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 51,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4947832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sheryl_sems/pseuds/sheryl_sems
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Clarke Griffin's boat is caught in a storm, she finds herself washed up on the shore of a mysterious island. With no way of contacting home and no way of knowing if her friends made it out alive, she is forced to seek help from the people who find her. The only problem is- they refuse to tell her anything about themselves. Stuck on an island where the people seem to be fighting for survival against other forces, Clarke has to earn their trust and learn to live amongst them until she can leave. This isn't particularly easy when the leader of the village, Bellamy Blake, dismisses and disapproves of her every action, seeing her only as an 'outsider.' </p><p>As she learns more about her surroundings with every passing day, she soon realises that she isn't just on a hidden island, but rather a whole new hidden world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone! This is my first ever try at The 100 fanfic and quite nervous but also very excited because I've been thinking a lot about this story and how I want it to go! It's a definite Bellarke fanfiction but a bit slow, but it's definitely one!! Do enjoy and let me know what you think x

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Clarke wakes up to being shaken roughly and she opens her eyes, blinking the darkness away. Her wet clothes are plastered to her skin and her hair is sticking to her face. The cut in her arm is throbbing and her muscles feel like they are on fire. She finally notices a boy- _man?_ \- standing above her, a scowl on his face. He is olive-skinned and has dark eyes and dark curly hair falling onto his forehead. He is dressed in a blue t-shirt, jeans and a jacket.

 

"How did you find this place?" He demands, kneeling down to her level. She tries to move when she realises that her wrists are bound to a post behind her.

 

"I-," Her voice comes out cracked, her throat incredibly dry and she swallows her own spit to speak, "I don't know where I am."

 

"Don't lie." The boy hisses at her, grasping her shoulder and staring at her menacingly. "Nobody just stumbles upon this place. Who are you? What do you want?"

 

"I swear- I was on a boat with four others-" She freezes, pulling her shoulder forcefully away from his grasp and whips her neck this way and that, trying to look out at the sea. "My friends. I was on a boat with four friends and we got hit by a storm- you have to help me! They're probably out there!"

 

"They're probably dead," He says. "I'm going to ask you one last time- who the hell are you and what are you doing here?"

 

"And I'm going to tell you the same damn thing no matter how many times you ask," anger sets into Clarke's features as she takes in the boy in front of her, probably a few years older than her. "I don't know where I am. My boat was hit and I went overboard and swam till I reached the nearest shore. Which was apparently this."

 

"Bullshit," He spits, standing up and giving her one last dark look before storming away.

 

"Hey!" She screams after his retreating back. "You can't just leave me here!" Apparently, he could. She sits there for the next twelve and a half minutes before she hears surprised voices from her left and looks up to see two figures heading her way. Once they are close enough, she notices that one is a beautiful young girl about her age with long dark brown hair and green eyes and an Chinese boy with shaggy hair. She's dressed in skinny jeans, a purple t-shirt and a black leather jacket while he's wearing a light blue button up and khakis.

 

"Hey," The girl says, looking a little nervous as they approach her. "You must be the outsider Bellamy was ranting about to the elders."

 

"Bellamy? Is that the asshole who tied me to this post and accused me of shit?" Clarke throws at the girl but instantly feels a pang of regret when the girl looks a bit taken aback at her tone.

 

"I- I apologise on his behalf. He _is_ a little bit of an asshole." She offers her a small smile which Clarke returns hesitatingly. "I'm not accusing you of anything but- how _did_ you find this place?"

 

Clarke wants to rub her forehead, feeling a headache come along. "I didn't _find_ anything. I got thrown overboard a boat with four others and I swam till here because it was the closest shore, I guess. Why is it such a big deal? Where are we?"

 

The two in front of her share a look and they have a conversation through their eyes before turning back to her.

 

"Doesn't matter," The boy decides. "I'm Monty and this is Octavia. Let's get you untied and give you something to eat, maybe?"

 

"I'm grateful, I really am-" Clarke says as Octavia withdraws a sharp knife from her boot- and _who are these people_ and where the hell _is_ she? "-but I really need to find my friends. They went overboard the same time I did and if I survived, then maybe they did too."

 

Octavia and Monty share another look. "I'm sorry-"

 

"Clarke."

 

"Clarke," Octavia says, looking genuinely apologetic, "But we can't help you with that. Not until the council decides what to do."

 

"Council?" Clarke asks standing up, feeling increasingly frustrated.

 

"We're not somewhere a lot of people go, is all." Monty says when Octavia isn't sure how to answer. Clarke raises her eyebrows because _what?_ "We're kind of like- a hidden tribe- people- community."

 

"O? What the hell are you doing?" A loud voice booms from across the area. They're standing at what seems like a dock, wooden cabins stand in a row opposite them and what she assumes is a town is beyond the row of houses.

 

The boy strides across the cobbled floor towards them and glares at Octavia.

 

"You untied her?" He growls at her.

 

"Yeah, because she's a decent human being," Clarke says, stepping forward. Both ignore her and decide to glare at each other while Monty shoots her an apologetic look.

 

"She's probably cold and hungry and you're just a dick," Octavia quips and Clarke decides she rather likes her.

 

"O," Bellamy says warningly.

 

"What did the council decide?" Monty steps in and Bellamy finally removes his gaze from the other girl.

 

"They haven't decided yet," He says, looking angry. "I voted to just chuck her back into the water but they said we needed to meet tomorrow morning again to decide."

 

"You can't just chuck me back into the water!" Clarke snaps, hating the taller boy more and more every second.

 

"He's kidding, Clarke," Octavia says, placing a hand on her arm. "At least, I think he is. I can never tell with him." She turns to the older boy. "Look, I'll take her back to our place for tonight, let her rest in the spare room next to mine and once the council decides what to do, then well- you can do whatever they decide but until then, just let me take her, okay?"

 

"O, that's not a good idea."

 

"What's she gonna do, Bell?" Octavia asks softly.

 

"You don't know what outsiders can do."

 

"Actually, I do." Octavia says and something in Bellamy's expression shifts to make him look less of an asshole and more of an actual human being. "I was there, remember?" He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "Come on, Bell. She's harmless."

 

 _She is also right here_ , Clarke wants to say but considering Octavia was speaking in her favour, she decides to keep quiet.

 

"If you need anything-"

 

"I'll call you. And Monty's next door too so it'll be fine."

 

"Yeah, like Monty could hurt a fly." Bellamy says and the three of them share a smile, clearly an inside joke. It's weird to see the prince of all assholes smiling so Clarke just looks away. "Okay. Be careful. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

 

Octavia grins and pecks Bellamy on the cheek before he nods at Monty, glares at Clarke and leaves.

 

"What's his problem?" Clarke asks as the three of them start walking towards the left.

 

"He's got a lot going on, I guess." Octavia shrugs. "And the last time someone who didn't live here arrived here- things didn't exactly go down very well for us so- he's just concerned."

 

"And a natural-born asshole?" Clarke mutters.

 

Octavia and Monty both grin and she says, "Yeah, pretty much."

 

They go around the row of cabins and enter a sort of square where there are two more rows of cabins running along two sides of the area. The fourth side opens out to what looks like a market place but in the dark, she can't be so sure. Octavia and Monty lead her to the fourth cabin on their right and Monty waves goodbye before entering the fifth. Octavia unlocks the door in front of her and ushers Clarke inside. They climb up to the second floor and Octavia busies herself fetching a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt along with a towel.

 

"There's a bathroom here." Octavia says, switching on the light of a room behind Clarke. "You can take a shower and clean your injuries using the first-aid kit under the sink. My room is here-" She points behind herself to the room she had taken the clothes out of, "And there's an extra room here," next to Octavia's, "which you can sleep in for tonight."

 

"Octavia, thank you." Clarke says, genuinely grateful. Exhaustion begins to creep into her bones. She hesitates before saying- "Are you sure there's no way I can go look for my friends?"

 

"There are ways," Octavia says, "But going out there alone this late at night will most likely get you killed. So maybe tomorrow." Clarke nods and heads towards the bathroom. "But Clarke?" She turns around. "I can't make any promises for them." Clarke wants to cry for a second before she takes a deep breath and nods instead, entering the bathroom and closing the door behind her with a soft click.

 

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Hope you are interested enough to keep reading!!! Thank you for giving this a shot :) Please review if you liked it enough to do so! See you next chapter x


	2. Chapter 2

"Octavia!" Bellamy bursts through her door without any other warning and she jerks awake, her eyes flying open and taking in his dishevelled, frantic look. She immediately pushes away her blankets and stumbles out of bed and after him when he whispers a single word. A name. They run down the stairs of their cabin, only vaguely registering a flash of blonde hair as the outsider- Clarke- steps out of her room in confusion.

 

They push through the curtain that covers the door of the medical cabin and Octavia gasps, seeing the form lying on one of the operating tables, a large gash in his side, deep enough to see bone and muscle.

 

"Bell," She breathes, turning to the other boy. He's staring at the form too, his eyes clouded with concern. "What do we do?"

 

He runs a hand through his hair and this is the most unsure she has seen him in a long time. Monty steps up beside her and places a comforting hand on her arm, squeezing slightly.

 

"We need a doctor- a healer, surgeon- _anything,_ " Monty says.

 

"How long does he-?" Bellamy asks.

 

"Judging by the extent of his injuries, I would say an hour at the most," Monty replies sadly and Octavia makes a strangled sound.

 

"Can't you do it? Or one of the elders? Raven? There has to be someone!" Bellamy snaps but Monty knows it's not at him, it's at the situation.

 

He shakes his head sombrely. "None of us are good enough to save him. We have only two healers who can and- well, Lincoln's out of the question and Indra- can't you reach her?"

 

"She was meant to come back friday. Even if we do contact her, the earliest she can get back is tomorrow morning."

 

"We need to save him, Bell," Octavia says, grabbing his arm.

 

"Lincoln's been teaching you." He says, looking at her. "Do you know-"

 

"Not enough to _save a life,_ " Octavia shakes her head and he can see the tears pooling in her eyes.

 

"Octavia? Monty?" All their heads snap in the direction of the curtain, where Clarke's voice filtered through from. Octavia pushes the curtain away and stumbles out, followed by the other two. "What's going on?"

 

Bellamy's opening his mouth, no doubt to tell her it's none of her business but Octavia's filling her in already. "We have an injured- patient. He's critically wounded but our healers aren't available. Monty says he has around one hour of his life but- we _have_ to save him."

 

"I- I can try," Clarke stutters.

 

"Like hell we'll-" Bellamy starts but Octavia raises her hand, effectively silencing him.

 

"Are you a doctor?" She asks.

 

"My mother's a surgeon and-" Her eyes fly to Bellamy when he opens his mouth, "Will you shut up for one fucking second?" She turns back to Octavia, "I'm a doctor in training but I've operated on patients before. Let me see if I can help him."

 

Octavia's nodding already, reaching out to grab her arm to pull her through the curtain.

 

"No fucking way," Bellamy hisses, blocking their way.

 

"Get out of my way, Bellamy," Octavia says, pulling herself up to meet his eyes fiercely.

 

"We are not letting some outsider operate on one of our-"

 

"We don't have a _choice_ , Bellamy." It's Monty who speaks. "We are running out of time and options. You have to let her try."

 

The older boy points a threatening finger at the younger one. "Don't tell me what the hell I should or should not be doing."

 

Octavia lets go of Clarke's arm to shove Bellamy's chest. He barely moves, just looks angrier. "Don't talk to him that way. Especially because he's right! We don't have time and we sure as hell don't have any options left." She stops to bite down on her lower lip and his shoulders drop a bit when he sees fresh tears well up in her eyes. "Bellamy, please. _Please_."

 

"O-"

 

"We can't let him die," She says, wiping her face with the back of her hand. "Let her try."

 

He stares at her a moment before nodding curtly. Monty moves through the curtain, gesturing for Clarke to follow and she does. Bellamy grips Octavia's arm before she moves and says, "If she does or says anything to endanger our people-"

 

"I will kill her myself," Octavia finishes. She knows she won't. He knows she won't too. But he nods anyway, knows she wouldn't risk their people in such a way if she had a choice, and follows her into the medbay.

 

Clarke is staring at the form on the table.

 

"I thought your patient was human," She breathes and Monty places his hand on her arm.

 

"Can you save him?" He urges.

 

She shakes her head to clear the several emotions flickering across her face before moving towards the form and pushing her fingers around the wound, through the thick fur, gauging its extent. She licks her dry lips, swallows saliva to wet her throat which has suddenly gone dry. She's nervous, they can tell. But she takes a deep breath and turns to them with a fierce determination in her blue eyes that allows them to hope- even if just for a moment.

 

"I can try."

 

"Trying isn't good enough-"

 

"Well it's all I can offer. And it's all you have," She snaps at Bellamy, who swallows hard before nodding. She meets Octavia's eyes and the girl nods and moves forward to show her where the surgical instruments are. Clarke sets them out and pulls on a pair of latex gloves that she's given before cracking her knuckles, taking a breath, and pushing her fingers into the wound gently, cautiously. Then she's calling out for things which Monty or Octavia pass to her quickly. The dark brown fur is making it difficult- _differen_ t- for her to operate like she normally does but she doesn't let it deter her. Doesn't let the absolute absurdity get to her, to allow her even a moment of wavering, hesitance. She transfers what she knows about humans onto what could possibly apply to wolves and keeps working with trained clinical precision.

 

When it's time to start stitching, she needs the wounds to be held shut but Octavia's hands are shaking far too much by this point and she needs Monty's steady ones to keep assisting her. She looks up to see Bellamy standing on the opposite side of the table, alternating between watching the wolf, her, and Octavia. She reaches out and grabs his wrists and he jumps at the contact and is about to pull his hands away when she says, "I need steady hands. Place them here and hold these parts of the skin together." He does it after Monty tosses him a pair of gloves- the first time he hasn't argued with her, she notes drily.

 

Blood is oozing out of the wound and their fingers and through the fur but she keeps working, her head bent low and her fingers perfectly steady. She can hear her mother's voice in her head, guiding her through parts she is unsure of, telling her that she's doing well- just a little more left. That she can save him. That she already has. But she keeps her mouth shut and her thoughts private, not wanting to give anybody hope in case it all goes to hell with one wrong move.

 

She is stitching the wound together when the wolf suddenly awakens. She is startled into almost falling backwards but Monty is there, pushing her back upright. Bellamy's hands tighten at the area she was stitching at, refusing to shift but he screams Monty and Octavia's names and they surge into action, moving around the wolf and holding down his arms and legs.

 

"Just knock him out with something, goddammit!" Bellamy's hands are slipping, the wound is splitting open and sweat pours from Clarke's hairline. "Knock him out or he'll do more damage!" Octavia's face is frighteningly close to the wolf's face as she tries to calm it- _him_ \- down and suddenly he's going weak. She turns to see Monty has stabbed the needle of an injection into his back. The effect is immediate and the wolf falls limp. She pushes herself back towards his wound and continues where she left off, tightening the stitches and keeping them straight. She swipes her forehead with her sleeve before threading the needle again and starting on a second round of stitches. She doesn't know how well one set will hold on a wolf- because it's a fucking wolf- but she carefully stitches the wound over once more, straight and tight. Once she's done, she puts the needle away and she notices that it takes a second for Bellamy to remove his hands while releasing a ragged breath. Octavia is still standing at the head of the table, her fingers brushing through the fur at the wolf's neck. She instructs Monty to help her wash the remaining blood off his fur, now thickly matted with blood and the two of them work efficiently, breathing more freely now that the worst is over. Octavia soon starts to help, her fingers trembling but not as much as before. Once they finish, Octavia suggests shifting him onto a cleaner table but Clarke shakes her head firmly, unsure of if they should jostle the stitches. The other girl nods before fulling turning to face her.

 

"Clarke, I-" She shakes her head before throwing her arms around Clarke's neck and gripping her tightly, "Thank you."

 

Clarke's arms remain frozen by her sides for a moment before wrapping around Octavia's figure. She nods, unable to say anything because she's completely overwhelmed by the situation she was- _is_ \- in. Then she remembers. "Octavia." She pulls away. "I need you to help me."

 

"Anything." Octavia says.

 

"I need to find my friends. I know it's dangerous but I have to. They're my family," She says firmly, hoping Octavia understands how important it is for her. She does because she nods without hesitation.

 

"Of course." She turns to Bellamy. "Get Raven and Miller. We're going to go see if we can find Clarke's friends."

 

"Octavia-" Bellamy's about to protest.

 

"I'll be okay, Bell. Clarke helped us, it's only fair we do the same for her," She says firmly and the older boy runs a frustrated hand through his hair before striding out.

 

"That's a yes." Monty says.

 

"I don't care if it were a no," Clarke says primly. "I would've gone anyway. What's his deal, anyway?" She asks Octavia. "Overprotective boyfriend?"

 

Monty barks out a laugh and Octavia snorts. "That's disgusting. Try overprotective big brother." Clarke's eyebrows rise and she recalls his features, aligns them with Octavia's and suddenly sees the resemblance.

 

"We'll ask someone to stay here on watch for him." Octavia says, sending one last look at the wolf and Clarke wonders not for the first time who he is. Why he's important. This time, she asks.

 

"He's family." Is the only answer she gets. She doesn't ask anymore, desperate to go find her own. Octavia reminds her softly once again that she can make no promises on what they'll find- or rather, what they won't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading!! :) I hope you enjoyed this one! Do leave a comment/hit/kudos if you think it deserves one! See you next chapter x
> 
> You can follow me on tumblr (onceuponashield) + feel free to send me Bellarke prompts! :)


	3. Chapter 3

They walk to the docks that Clarke had drifted ashore to and Clarke's eyes land on a white speed boat to their right which Octavia motions for them to head towards.

 

"Raven built this boat from scratch," She says. "She's the youngest and best mechanic we have."

 

"Damn right I am." They spin around to see a girl and boy walking towards them. The light brown skinned girl is dressed in a black tank top and black jeans, an orange jacket pulled on. She has dark wavy hair tied into a high ponytail and her brown eyes shine with confidence and pride. The boy next to her is also dark skinned and has eyes that match his short-cropped dark brown hair. He's dressed in a black hoody and jeans and nods to Clarke when she meets his eyes. 

 

"It's very impressive." Clarke says to the girl- Raven.

 

"I know." Raven offers a quirk of the corner of her lips and a nod before holding her hand out. "Raven Reyes. You must be the outsider that's got Blake's knickers in a twist."

 

Clarke shakes the girl's hand "Clarke Griffin." _Blake, huh? Bellamy Blake._

 

"So where are we taking her?" Raven asks, pushing through them to step into her boat. 

 

"My own boat was hit by the storm last night," Clarke explains, climbing into the boat with the others. "I was with four others- I need to know what happened." Her throat catches but she clears it quickly, pushing away the different scenarios playing in her head. She can't afford to think that way. They _have_ to be alright. She made it, why couldn't they have?

 

Raven nods curtly. "Do you remember which way you came from?" She's staring up the boat.

 

Clarke shakes her head. "I ended up practically being washed onto these shores, if I remember correctly. I don't- I'm not sure. It was dark and I was-" She takes a deep breath, trying to push away the terror of the previous night. Lightning flashing, Roma and Fox screaming while she scrambled to grab onto anything she could reach, Wells reaching out to grab her but his fingers only grazing her life vest, the entire world tipping sideways and then out of control, Jasper yelling her name before crying out. And then water entering her nose, her mouth, her lungs. Pushing herself to the surface, taking a breath before being pushed under again. Fighting to gain control and-

 

"Clarke?" She blinks rapidly, concentrating on Octavia, who's staring at her worriedly, her hand on her arm. "We can go out and search alone, you don't have to-"

 

"No!" Clarke protests quickly. "I'm fine. I'm coming." Raven's already pulling the boat away from the docks, speeding into the seas. 

 

"Right, we'll head out north and keep watch on all directions. Miller?" Raven glances to the other boy, who nods and reaches down into a pack he brought along. He hands out binoculars to each of them except Raven, who is controlling the boat. "If anyone sees anything that they might think could be the other boat or any signs of life, we'll go that way." They nod before moving to different corners of the boat and pressing the binoculars to their eyes. It's seven minutes in before Monty yells to Raven and the boat is turning in the direction he claims to have seen something. 

 

Clarke sucks in a breath when they see the first sign of wreckage. Pieces of white plastic and wood are floating on the surface of the now-calm waters. 

 

"Fuck," She hears Raven whisper as they move their gaze further outwards and sees more wreckage floating around. 

 

"What's that?" Miller asks and it's the first time Clarke has heard him speak since she met him. He's got a soft but strong voice. They look in the direction he's pointing and see a larger lump of-

 

"Jasper," Clarke breathes as the boat moves closer, slower now. When they're close enough, they see that he's lying on his stomach on a rectangular piece of white something, his eyes closed but mouth slightly moving, as if he spent the night calling for help but his voice has reduced to soft, unheard pleas. There's a piece of wood lodged in the side of his stomach which makes Octavia look away for a second because it's a vomit-inducing sight and Monty mutters a soft " _Jesus Christ."_  One of Jasper's hands are tucked under him but the other is reaching out and they follow it to another large piece of floating mass. His hand is gripping tightly at what looks like a jacket and it takes them to realise that it is one. He's gripping a black jacket and there's a person wearing it whose head and legs are underwater, only his torso remains floating. 

 

"Wells," Clarke gasps, tears rising to her eyes and her hand flying to cover her mouth. 

 

"Come on," Octavia says and everyone flies into action, including Raven. They get the boat close enough to the two bodies and Miller and Octavia are half inside the boat and half inside the water when they carefully pull Jasper first and then Wells onto the boat. Monty and Octavia head to Jasper while Miller and Raven kneel down beside Wells and Clarke remains frozen where she is until Jasper coughs weakly. She falls to her knees beside him.

 

"Jas," Clarke whispers, running her hand through his hair and smoothening it away from his face. The pale boy's eyes flutter open and it takes him a moment to focus on Clarke. He breathes her name. "Yeah, Jas, it's me," She says, leaning down to press her forehead against his. "You're gonna be okay, you hear me?"

 

"Clarke, Wells- I- I tried," He chokes out before coughing up water. She looks up to see Raven pressing her fingers against an African-American boy's wrist. Clarke stares at them until Raven raises her head and then shakes her head sadly. 

 

"I'm sorry, Clarke," Jasper says, gripping her hand when she slides it through his fingers. 

 

"It's okay, Jas. Do you what happened to Roma and Fox?" She asks.

 

"Roma. Fox," He repeats, sounding slightly delirious. And then his eyes flutter shut.

 

"Jasper!" Clarke says, shaking him gently. "Roma and Fox- do you know what happened?"

 

He's silent for a moment before- "They went under."

 

Clarke's legs are barely functional as she tries to push herself to her feet. "I'm going to see if I can-" Jasper's hand grips her shirt, pulling her back down and she goes easily. 

 

He shakes his head. "They're gone." Clarke's eyes squeeze shut before she nods. 

 

"Raven, get the boat moving," She instructs and the girl jumps up and the boat is speeding back in the matter of seconds. "Jas, you need to hang in there for me, okay? You are the only family I have left and you _have_ to hold on." Tears are welling up in her eyes and Jasper nods weakly. "Good. I don't know what I'll do if I lose you. You've held on this long- just a little longer and we'll be okay, I promise." His eyes are closing shut again and she's shaking him awake. "Stay with me, Jasper." 

 

They reach the shore faster than they left it and Octavia's already screaming out to someone waiting at the docks. Bellamy, she realises, when she hears him call out commands to some others. There's movement she's barely aware of and Jasper is placed on a stretcher, so is Wells, and they're rushed to the medical cabin. The wolf is gone and a young girl, around fourteen, hair tightly tied in braids, is already setting out surgical instruments on the table. 

 

"Clarke, can you do this?" Octavia asks as they gather around Jasper. They're pulling on gloves- her, Octavia and Monty. Raven, Bellamy and the girl are gone but Miller stands at the door, watching.

 

Clarke nods numbly, trying to switch from friend to doctor. Personal to professional. Just like she was trained. But her hands shake as she washes the area around Jasper's wounds and she finds herself too terrified to be able to steady herself enough to pull the piece of wood out without doing more damage. Not with Wells' body lying a few tables away and not with the knowledge that three out of four of her friends are dead. And because this isn't Ark City where she can swap out with someone she trusts to take care of the patient while she takes a breath, or ask her mother for help. This is some other, unfamiliar place where she was tied up when found and then had to operate on a fucking _wolf_ the next day and she's finding it had to breathe because she doesn't know _anybody_ there and the one person she does know is the one she needs to operate on and is crying and moaning in pain and probably hours away from dying. So her hands shake and tears well up in her eyes and even the hands squeezing her shoulders are not enough to keep her grounded.

 

" _Clarke,"_ Monty urges, grasping her hand tightly. "You have to do this."

 

She whispers that she needs a second before wiping her eyes, repeating the mantra of _For Jasper_ in her head and cracking her knuckles. And she takes a breath before moving to remove the piece of wood. Jasper releases a loud wail and she stills as his body writhes. She screams at the others to hold him still and they clamp down on his wrists and ankles and it pains her to hear her him this way. She's pulling the last bit of wood out as he screams when there is movement at the door and Bellamy emerges scowling. 

 

"Tell him to shut up, he's scaring everybody outside. They want to know who it is and what's going on." 

 

"Tell them whatever, Bell," Octavia snaps at him. "He's hurt, can't you see?"

 

"And we need to protect our people."

 

"Shut _up_ with your 'we need to protect our people' bullshit," Clarke cries out. "We are _not_ here to harm you, for fuck's sake! Just _shut up!"_

 

"I don't care what you say but there are people out there who want answers that I'm not ready to give them and if that kid doesn't shut up, I swear to god I'm going to kill him myself."

 

"Monty, use whatever you used on the wolf this morning." Clarke says, ignoring him pointedly.

 

Monty looks helpless and apologetic. "It's too strong to be used on a human, Clarke, I'm sorry. It's only meant to tranquillise animals." 

 

"If people find out that there are outsiders here-" Bellamy's rant gets cut off as a larger figure pushes past him through the door.

 

"They already know." His voice is deep and he comes to stand in front of Clarke. She looks up at him to see brown skin with strong black swirling tattoos up the man's biceps, under his black t-shirt, and out from the collar, curling up his neck. He looks fierce and she would have been frightened of him if he wasn't looking at her with a soft expression that completely contrasted his build. "I am Lincoln, the village healer." He's already pulling on gloves and she hesitates when he holds his hand out for the needle and thread. "You can trust me. You saved one of ours, I will save yours." She nods and the next thing she knows, Monty is pulling her away from Jasper and seating her by the side. She watches numbly, wordlessly, as they work together on Jasper, Lincoln taking complete control. Jasper has screamed himself hoarse and as soon as two stitches go through his skin, he's passed out on the table. 

 

An agonisingly long fifteen minutes later during which Clarke refused to look at Wells, everybody's cleaning up and filtering out of the room until it's just Lincoln, Octavia and Monty. Clarke gets to her feet unsteadily and finally pushes her way towards the lifeless body lying two tables away from Jasper. She reaches out and presses her fingers against the pulse point of his neck. Just to be sure. Just in case… 

 

Nothing. 

 

She moves her hand up to cup his cold cheek and a shudder pulses through her body. She wants to cry and looks up to see the three others glancing at her with worry.

 

"Could I have a moment alone please?" She whispers, her voice cracking. Octavia says a quiet 'of course' before they shuffle out. As soon as the curtain falls into place, she's bending at the waist, her forehead pressed against Wells' chest as she croaks out a sob. 

 

"How could you," She cries, her other hand raising to grasp at his damp black collar. "You said you'd be there for me- you can't just _die!"_ She almost expects a response- _needs_ a response. This is her best friend- she knew him when they took their first steps, knew him when they said their first words, knew him through dances, knew him through funerals, knew him through laughter and knew him through pain.  She _knew_ him and he knew her and now he was gone. And nobody would understand what it feels like for her to have a Wells Jaha shaped hole in her life. 

 

"You were supposed to be there forever." She whispers, tears falling and splashing against his cheeks and she needs him desperately to reach up and wipe them away and scold her for crying all over him like that time when he got violently beaten up in an alley for doing nothing but being the Mayor's son. "I'm sorry, Wells." She finally sobs, grasping his hands. "I'm sorry I wasn't there. That I couldn't save you. That it was you and not me. I'm _so sorry_." She doesn't know how long she lies there, sitting on the edge of the table with her head on his chest, tears falling, throat constricting, heart aching. 

 

A hand falls on her shoulder and she looks up to see Monty. 

 

"You should change and eat something, Clarke." He says softly.

 

She sits up to see that her shirt and arms are soaked with blood and realises that she hasn't eaten since yesterday evening when the boat got hit. Since Wells and Roma and Fox died and Jasper was left floating on the sea holding onto his dead friend. 

 

"Clarke?"

 

She nods mutely and allows Monty to lead her outside where Octavia is waiting. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!!! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you are enjoying it! Please do let me know what you think in a review, or else if you liked it enough- hit kudos :) x


	4. Chapter 4

She's sitting beside Jasper when he starts moving. She gets to her feet and watches as his eyes open slowly and he blinks a few times. She waits for him to focus on her before smiling softly.

 

 

"Hey, you." 

 

 

"Clarke," He says and she grasps the fingers reaching towards her. His wet pants were removed and replaced with only a red blanket pulled up to his waist and his torso is wrapped tightly with white bandages. He looks pale and tired but _alive._ "I'm not dead?"

 

 

She releases a watery chuckle. "Thank god, no. You're okay."

 

 

He nods and she can see in his eyes that he's registering that Wells and Roma and Fox aren't. "How are you?" He asks hoarsely. She helps him sit halfway up and drink water out of a metal cup.

 

 

"I'm- as well as can be, I guess," She says honestly because this is Jasper and he understands. "How do you feel?"

 

 

"Like I spent hours at sea with no water and food and a massive fucking piece of wood in my side." He sends her a smile and holds her fingers tightly. "Where are we?"

 

 

"I don't really know," She says, shrugging one shoulder. "All they told me was that nobody really comes here, then an asshole of a boy threatened to throw me back into the water, and then I had to operate on a wolf friend of theirs and save his life." 

 

 

Jasper's eyes widen. "No kidding?" She shakes her head. "That is so cool." He takes in her raised eyebrows and amends- "Not the part about throwing you in the water- what a dick. But the wolf part- that's _mad_ freaky." 

 

 

She can't help but let her smile widen because it's such a Jasper thing to say and it only reassures her that she's not dreaming him alive. 

 

 

They turn to see Lincoln enter with Monty. 

 

 

"It's good to see you awake," Lincoln nods at Jasper.

 

 

"He saved your life," Clarke explains.

 

 

"Thank you," Jasper says, gratitude shining in his eyes. 

 

 

"You're a fighter," Lincoln comments in his deep voice. "I'm Lincoln."

 

 

"Monty Green," the Chinese boy offers, waving at Jasper. 

 

 

"Jasper Jordan." He smiles at them. "Clarke says you guys got a wolf around here. That's major cool." The two chuckle and share a look before Monty steps forward and places a pair of black trousers by Jasper's bed. 

 

 

"It's my size but it should fit you." He says. 

 

 

"Thanks, man," Jasper nods. 

 

 

They spend the next few minutes checking Jasper's bandages and vitals and are helping him into pants when Raven walks backwards through the door. She's hunched over and Clarke realises that she's carrying something long and heavy when Octavia follows, also hunched over. They're holding a sturdy looking black box between them and they place it at the foot of the table Wells is on. Clarke walks over to them. 

 

 

"What's this?" 

 

 

"We- we don't mean to overstep but we thought you might want to put Wells away," Octavia says quietly, cautiously. "I know it's none of our business but- we've had a lot of deaths in the village and there's a place we have for them to be buried. I know it's not your home but the offer is open."

 

 

Clarke looks between Wells' body and the box- the _coffin_ \- before turning to Octavia and Raven. "Thank you. I think we'd like to do that." She turns and Jasper nods in confirmation from where he's sitting and listening. They ease Wells' body into the box and Jasper hobbles over with Monty's help to whisper a "Sorry, buddy" before shutting the box with it's cover. Clarke bends down to pick up one side and begins to protest when Jasper bends to pick up the other.

 

 

"You're seriously injured!" 

 

 

"And he's my friend," Jasper says softly. She stares at him a moment before nodding and telling him to stop if he feels his stitches straining. Jasper agrees and they lift the coffin between them, not without difficulty. The first time Jasper emits a quiet groan, a hand reaches out to aid Jasper in lifting his side and he looks up to see Monty. 

 

 

Octavia and Raven are suddenly there on either side of the coffin and Clarke doesn't protest, mostly because she's too tired and also because even in death, Wells is uniting people and so she lets them be. They make their way out of the cabin and a rush of cool air hits them. People are scattered around the square, some standing purposefully just to watch them- _outsiders,_ she remembers- and others looking up from what they're doing and their eyes follow the group. Octavia and Raven are wordlessly turning the coffin in the direction they need to go and soon they're leaving the people behind to enter a large field. Gravestones are distributed all around the grounds and they walk to a clear patch of the grounds. 

 

 

Raven leaves but Octavia and Monty wait on the side after handing them shovels and Clarke and Jasper spend the next hour and a half digging a grave. The two do not offer help and Clarke and Jasper do not ask it- do not want it- because this is more personal than carrying a coffin, this is  _burying_  their friend and they need to do it alone. When they've covered the black box with dirt once again and placed a single white flower over it, Jasper and Clarke lean into each other, holding hands, and say their final goodbyes.

 

 

+++ 

 

 

Later that evening, Clarke walks into the medbay to see Lincoln organising bottles in a cupboard to the right.

 

 

"Hey," She says, careful not to startle him.

 

 

"Clarke," He nods at her politely.

 

 

"I wanted to say thank you. For saving Jasper's life," She says. "I can't- I can't imagine what I would have done if he had died."

 

 

"You saved one of our's, I saved one of yours," He responds, closing the cupboard and leaning against the wall.

 

 

"We're even then," Clarke says, offering him a smile which he returns before moving to fold the cleaned sheets on the operating tables.

 

 

"Not exactly." 

 

 

"What do you mean?" 

 

 

"It's a complicated world, Clarke kom exterrakru." He says, placing the sheets into another cupboard filled with linen. She asks him what that means. "Clarke from the outsider clan," He answers. "We are careful to name those who are not part of our tribe."

 

 

"What are you called to others?" She asks curiously, leaning her forearms against the operating table.

 

 

"I am Lincoln kom trikru. I belong to the tree clan."

 

 

"Do Octavia and Monty and Raven belong to them too then?" 

 

 

He simply gives her a small smirk. "Like I said, it's a complicated world."

 

 

"Is that a no?" She laughs.

 

 

"It's a- you now know way too much about us for comfort," A third very familiar, very arrogant voice speaks up and they turn to see Bellamy entering the cabin. "Lincoln, you know better than to share information with outsiders."

 

 

"Our naming will not harm anybody," Lincoln shrugs. 

 

 

"She's an outsider and she needs to leave."

 

 

"Where will she go?" Lincoln replies calmly. 

 

 

"Home," Clarke cuts through. "Ark city. We need to return."

 

 

"They can't stay here forever and the council should throw them out soon-"

 

 

"We cannot let them leave without _certain people_ noticing- we need to wait for the council's decision. Until then, they stay."

 

 

"I don't understand, why can't we just leave? Who will care?" Clarke asks, frustrated that things are apparently so complicated. Lincoln opens his mouth to answer but she sighs and her shoulders sag. "Let me guess? It's complicated." He shrugs, smiling weakly.

 

 

"The council is being stupid for taking this long. Who cares if they're found and-"

 

 

"Listen here," Clarke snaps, moving to stand in front of Bellamy with narrowed eyes. "I know you don't like me and believe me, the feeling is mutual- but Jasper and I are not here to harm anybody. We just want to go home as much as you want us to. But since that's not happening for some complicated reason, why don't you keep your mouth shut and stay out of our way if our presence bothers you so much?" With that, she nods goodbye to Lincoln and stalks out of the cabin. 

 

 

"You trust her?" Bellamy questions Lincoln, who shrugs.

 

 

"She's not here to harm us."

 

 

"How can you be sure?"

 

 

"Octavia doesn't think she will," Lincoln replies. He then smirks slightly. "You only dislike her so much because she is willing to stand up to you, something no one but Octavia has dared to do." Bellamy only scowls before leaving. 

 

 

The council, it turns out, decides to make them stay for another week so that necessary 'arrangements' can be made. "They won't kill you," Octavia promises but Clarke isn't so sure and from the looks of it, neither is Jasper. They ask her what she thinks they'll do and Bellamy responds with a snarky "whatever the hell we want".

 

+++

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed that! The next chapter is going to be a lot more exciting, I promise! And lots more reveals about this strange place coming up. Please please hit kudos and review if you think it's worth it, it honestly makes my day and encourages me to write more :') x


	5. Chapter 5

Monty is seen with Jasper through most of the next week, Octavia is seen with Clarke, and everyone else is seen wearing wary, calculating expressions as they take in the two outsiders breathing and moving amongst them. It does not take them long to find that they are not safe roaming the area alone. Clarke has been attacked by a woman in her mid-thirties when she went to the dining hall by herself and Jasper was followed by a man who leaped out at him at the docks. Octavia was public and loud about her opinions about the attacks and no one has dared physically hurt them again, but it doesn't stop the nasty glares they receive. 

 

 

They spend a day at Raven's work station which has an impressive display of gadgets and toys which the brunette is incredibly proud of, as she should be. Clarke comments that she has a friend back at Ark that has a very similar work station and he used to constantly be showing off his creations to her. His name is Kyle and when Clarke winks and jokingly says Raven would've gotten along with him, Raven's face closes off and she smiles tightly. Octavia later tells Clarke not to take it to heart and that Raven doesn't like to let anybody into her life because she believes that everybody leaves at some point and in a quieter, more somber tone that she went through a very hard time with the last boy in her life. 

 

 

Clarke learns other things over the course of the following few days. Miller's first name is Nathan but nobody calls him that except Monty ("Nate"); Monty works with and grows herbs and is super into botany and can make his own alcohol- he takes Jasper to show him how, something that Octavia says he doesn't share with people; Octavia and Bellamy don't have a family and he's been taking care of her since as long as she can remember; the town hates outsiders because of an incident five years ago which nobody talks about; there are people outside of the village on the island who do not like them very much- "that's putting it a little lightly," Raven says. For five days, Clarke considers this a lot of information considering how secretive Bellamy considers the village.

 

 

Two nights later, Clarke is lying in her bed with Jasper sitting cross-legged beside her. He's doing much better physically but his eyes remain haunted, much like hers. Their friends are still dead. They're still on a strange island. Their friends are still dead. They have nothing that belongs to them except each other. Their friends are still dead.

 

 

"Do you think they'll ever let us leave?" Jasper asks, playing with the loose threads of the blanket wrapped around his shoulders. He was given a room with Monty but he spends a lot of his time in Clarke's room. 

 

 

"I'm honestly beginning to lose hope. I mean- it's not bad here. They haven't hurt us and I can see myself being great friends with some of these people but-"

 

 

"It's not home," Jasper finishes. "But then again- is home really home anymore?"

 

 

Clarke falls silent because he's right. Her life in Ark City had begun falling apart ever since her father died and all that remained of her home was a suffocating house with a mother who didn't understand her and now Wells was gone too. Jasper had always been a bit of a quiet kid and his mother was barely around so yes, he's right.

 

 

"So what? You think you want to stay here?" Clarke asks, dropping her head back onto the headboard.

 

 

Jasper shrugs. "I'm just saying I wouldn't mind if 'the council', whoever they are, take longer to make arrangements for us, whatever that means they're going to do."

 

 

"Whatever the hell they want, right?" Clarke mumbles, her eyes falling shut. 

 

 

"I guess I'm just getting use-" 

 

 

The door suddenly slams open, hitting the wall with a crash. Octavia is standing at the doorway, her hair braided intricately, sweat pouring down her face and neck, her eyes wide with what looks like fear and concern. 

 

 

"It's Raven. She's been shot." Octavia whispers but her voice carries to them perfectly and soon they're on their feet and stumbling down the stairs to the medical wing, where Lincoln and Bellamy are pacing outside, looking more nervous than Clarke's ever seen them.

 

 

"What's going on?" She asks and is surprised when Bellamy actually answers her, but not without a glare.

 

 

"There's a bullet in her spine. She's losing blood rapidly and she's starting to lose feeling in her legs. It doesn't look good at all." 

 

 

"How long?" Clarke asks Lincoln.

 

 

"I'd give her up to eight hours." He answers.

 

 

"Can't you or Indra do something?" Jasper asks.

 

 

"Indra is in the next village, seeing if anyone can help. But our medical knowledge does not deal with bullets and it's effects," Lincoln shakes his head. 

 

 

"What? Why not?" Jasper asks.

 

 

"This isn't the time," Bellamy snaps. "They don't know how to help her and that's that." 

 

 

"Can I see her?" Clarke asks. Bellamy stares at her for a long moment, looking like he's considering all his options. Clarke gets an understanding of exactly how bad the situation is when he nods curtly and leads her into the medical wing. Clearly he didn't have many options to consider.

 

 

Clarke gapes when she sees Raven sitting upright on the bed, blood leaking out of a wound in her stomach. Monty is supporting her from the back and Miller from the front. 

 

 

"We don't know whether to lie her on her back or her front because the bullet went through her stomach but seems to be lodged in her spine," Bellamy explains softly. Clarke nods and moves forward to inspect the wound for herself. 

 

 

"Can you help her?" Monty asks, climbing up and sitting on the bed behind Raven so that she can lean into him, her eyes shut.

 

 

"Hey, Raven- stay with me," Clarke says, clutching the other girl's hands and squeezing them. Raven's eyes flutter open.

 

 

"Give it to me, Griffin. How bad is it?" She says, her voice hoarse.

 

 

"It's bad," Clarke answers honestly. "But I've seen my mother operate on a cop in the same situation."

 

 

"Did he live?" Monty asks. 

 

 

"Yeah." 

 

 

"You can save her then?" Octavia asks, her tone so hopeful that Clarke already feels the weight of the world on her shoulders. 

 

 

"I think I can but-" She turns to look at the others, "I need my mother."

 

 

"We can't bring her here," Bellamy says immediately.

 

 

"No, I just need to speak to her. Have her guide me through it," Clarke says. 

 

 

Bellamy runs a hand through his hair before asking Clarke where her mother works. 

 

 

"Ark General." 

 

 

"We can't contact anywhere from here," Miller says.

 

 

"No, but there is somewhere else we can do it from," Bellamy says. They fall silent for a second and Clarke and Jasper are left staring between them and each other in confusion. 

 

 

"Where?" Clarke asks, finally breaking the silence.

 

 

"Mount Weather," Octavia says, pinching the bridge of her nose. "They have contact with Ark General for- well, obvious reasons."

 

 

"Which are really not obvious to us," Jasper mumbles and Clarke sighs, knowing to just accept whatever is being said without asking questions. If she wanted to ask, now was not the time.

 

 

"Mount Weather would never give us access to their communication systems- you know what would happen if we even go close enough for them to see us," Bellamy states.

 

 

"No, but there is someone on the inside who may be able to patch us through," Octavia replies.

 

 

"Maya," Monty says.

 

 

The next forty minutes that follow go by in a blur of Monty bringing out a radio, connecting it up to a few complicated sockets in the wall and tweaking wires, Raven mumbling what help she can to whatever the others are frantically trying to do, Bellamy clicking a button on the radio in a specific pattern and Octavia pacing. Jasper and Clarke stand near Raven, assisting her in any way they can. 

 

 

Then finally, a voice comes through the radio.

 

 

"Hello?" It's female. Soft. Cautious. Clarke figures this is-

 

 

"Maya?" It's Bellamy who speaks. 

 

 

"Sorry it took me so long- I heard the clicks but my father was in my room so I couldn't leave. What's going on?"

 

 

"Raven's been shot." 

 

 

Maya gasps. "Is she-"

 

 

"She's alive but only just. We need a favour."

 

 

"Okay?"

 

 

"A big one." 

 

 

A brief pause before- "Will it save her life?"

 

 

"Yes."

 

 

"Then tell me."

 

 

"We need to contact a chief surgeon at Ark General-" Bellamy glances at Clarke.

 

 

"Abby Griffin."

 

 

Bellamy repeats the name to Maya, who says- "She would never help you, especially if she doesn't know you."

 

 

"She would if it was her daughter speaking to her." Bellamy says.

 

 

If Maya has questions, she doesn't ask them, only pauses for a moment. "What's your plan?"

 

 

"You contact her through your telephone connections and ask her to talk to you through how to help Raven and repeat everything to us on this line," Bellamy explains. "It's the only way. This is our only hope."

 

 

"Bellamy, I can't talk you through everything- I'm needed at the hospital wing in ten minutes-"

 

 

"Let me guess, another grounder?" Octavia suddenly barks, stopping amidst her pacing. Lincoln places a hand on her arm and Bellamy tells her softly that this isn't the time.

 

 

"I didn't choose these people, Octavia," Maya says, sounding defensive. "I was born into them. But you all know better than anyone else that I am doing whatever I can to make up for the sins of my people."

 

 

"We know, Maya," Monty speaks up. "We're sorry. Can you help us?"

 

 

"I can't talk you through everything but I think I can connect my radio to our Ark General telephone line and it'll transmit straight through to you. I'll connect you in the art room but it'll make noise. The next guard will make his rounds in twenty-five minutes and the moment he enters the room, he'll hear the radio and it'll all be over. Is twenty minutes enough?"

 

 

Bellamy looks at Clarke while answering, "It'll have to be. Do it. We'll be waiting here." Five agonising minutes later, the radio starting crackling before they heard a dial tone of a telephone. 

 

 

"Ark General Hospital. What's your emergency?" Maya had patched them through to emergencies. Perfect.

 

 

Bellamy and Clarke had discussed what to say and he was ready. "Hi, this is Kyle Wick. I have to speak with Surgeon Griffin on urgent matters about her daughter, Clarke."

 

 

"I'm not sure I can do that, Sir-"

 

 

"Listen, her daughter's been missing for over a week now and I'm her best friend. I have news for her mother, who is no doubt worrying about her only living relation so for God's sake, patch me through."

 

 

There was a beat before the receptionist speaks again, "Connecting you to Surgeon Griffin."

 

 

Everyone's shoulders visibly relax and Clarke moves forward to take the radio from Bellamy.

 

 

"Kyle?" Something in Clarke's chest tightens when her mother's frantic voice comes through the radio.

 

 

"Mom?" 

 

 

"Clarke?! Baby, are you okay? Where are you? What happened?"

 

 

"Mom, I'm okay. I'm safe and I'm fine. I'm with the others- Jasper… Wells, Roma, Fox. We're all okay. I'm with good people but mom, I need your help-"

 

 

"Do you need me to come get you? Where-"

 

 

"No, that's not it. Listen to me. Someone's been shot here- a friend of mine. We don't have access to a hospital but we have access to medical supplies. Remember that cop that got a bullet to the spine when I was interning at AGH last month? You saved his life. I need you to help me save my friend's."

 

 

"Clarke, that's- it's a complicated procedure and you're-"

 

 

"Mom, I _have_ to try. I'm trusting that you've taught me well and that you can talk me through this. _Please._ This is what you've always wanted me to do- be like you. I'm doing it but I can't do it without you."

 

 

"Clarke, it's-"

 

 

" _Please._ It's her only hope. You and I are her only hope so _please."_

 

 

"Okay, we can try. What do you have with you?"

 

 

She hands the radio to Bellamy, who is the closest to her and they move towards Raven. She dictates the surgical instruments she has access to and he holds the radio near her face, close enough for her to feel like her mother is right with her but not too close that it would get in her way. Her mother tells her how to assess Raven's wound and how to make her lie down and as soon as she's flat on her back, Clarke tells the others what to do. Lincoln is across her, assisting her directly with the surgery as he is the most trained. Monty stands to her right, passing her anything she needs. Octavia is gestured subtly to by Clarke to hold onto Raven's hand as this will hurt and they do not have anything that will numb the pain. Miller stands at the door doing nothing but looking ready to fly into action if required. Jasper is watching the time. Nineteen minutes. 

 

 

Abby leads Clarke through the assessment procedure and Raven's biting down on a thick piece of cloth, tears pooling at her eyes every time Clarke prods the wound in any way. 

 

 

"From what you're telling me, it sounds like the bullet lodged in her spine isn't the cause of her blood loss. The entry wound is what's causing the blood loss so if that's stitched up, it should stop. But you need to make a decision about the bullet. You can try to take it out but without anaesthesia, she can die from the surgery."

 

 

"If we leave it in?" Bellamy asks, looking at Clarke. 

 

 

"She probably will never be able to walk again," Clarke answers and her mother's silence is only a confirmation. 

 

 

"Take it out," Raven croaks from the table after spitting the cloth out. 

 

 

"You could die," Monty says.

 

 

"I'd rather die than be stuck in a bed or a chair for the rest of my life," Raven says. 

 

 

"It's going to be painful," Clarke warns, knowing she's stating the obvious but needing Raven to know what she's signing up for. "And it could lead to nothing."

 

 

"Back in Ark I didn't need my legs, over here _I do,"_ Raven says through gritted teeth. "Take the damn thing out." Clarke and Jasper both share a look- _Raven was at Ark at some point before all this?_

 

 

Everyone's silent, looking between each other while Raven stares resolutely at the ceiling.

 

 

"Fourteen minutes, Clarke." Jasper says.

 

 

"Do it," Raven says, sounding more determined than she ever had before. Clarke finally nods and her mother instructs her to move Raven onto her stomach. They do it carefully, five sets of hands handling glass that refused to break. 

 

 

Clarke is ready with a sharp surgical knife when Raven cries out, " _Wait_." The knife is raised quickly several inches higher than before, almost in surrender. 

 

 

"Raven?" Octavia says.

 

 

Raven takes a deep, shuddering breath and quietly admits, "I'm scared" as tears slip sideways down her cheeks. 

 

 

"I know," Octavia says softly. She squeezes Raven's hand with one of her own and places her other against the side of Raven's face. "We're right here for you. You're going to be okay."

 

 

"If I die, I go to Finn," Raven reasons and Clarke marvels at how little she knows about these people. About the girl she's going to cut into and withdraw a bullet from, and possibly, in the process, kill. 

 

 

 _Or save_ , she reminds herself. Or save.

 

 

"Yeah," Octavia says. "But you're going to be okay." She squeezes her hand again.

 

 

Raven gives a small nod before taking another deep breath, "I'm ready." Octavia nods at Clarke and Clarke aligns the knife with the black markings on Raven's bare back. Steadying her breath and her hands, she moves her wrist downwards and cuts through the skin. She blocks out Raven's heart-wrenching screams and keeps going, following her mother's loud instructions as closely as possible. Bellamy has moved closer to her, keeping the radio in better hearing distance and Monty has one hand on Raven's shoulder blades. Tears are steadily falling from his eyes as Raven's screams grow hoarser and more pained but Lincoln's hands are steady as he helps Clarke in every way she asks. With five and a half minutes left, Clarke takes the bullet out and Raven is still breathing. When Clarke announces this, the others can finally breathe too.

 

 

When it's time for the stitches, Clarke finishes them with her adrenaline finally wearing off and one minute to spare.

 

 

"Is she going to be okay?" She asks her mother, her hands still too stained with blood to hold the radio herself. They are also beginning to shake and she's losing faith in her ability to use them steadily at the moment. 

 

 

"She'll be fine. She'll take a few days to recover enough to actually stand with a cane or a brace but I can't make promises that she will ever be able to walk without one."

 

 

"But she'll be able to walk?" Bellamy asks, speaking to Abby for the first time. The older woman is obviously surprised because there's a beat of silence before she answers.

 

 

"Yes. Clarke- are you sure you're okay?"

 

 

"I'm fine, mom," She answers honestly. "I'm not hurt and they're taking care of us."

 

 

"Shall I come get you or send people to you? Money? Clothes?"

 

 

"No, none of that," Clarke says quickly. She doesn't need to be looking at Bellamy to know his reaction to her mother's request. "Honestly, mom- I'm okay. We like it here and we plan on staying here a bit longer."

 

 

"And Wells?"

 

 

"Wells is- fine," Clarke manages not to choke on her dead best friend's name and the blatant lie that went with it. "Tell Thelonius not to worry." She sees Bellamy's head snap up but stores his reaction away for later.

 

 

"Ten seconds."

 

 

"Mom, don't worry. I'll contact you when I can. Love you." Clarke rushes out.

 

 

"Love you too, baby. Be safe." They hang up and Bellamy finally places the radio down. Lincoln has cleaned up Raven's blood from her back and everyone is slowly beginning to relax once more. Raven is asleep, her back rising and falling steadily in a way that makes Clarke want to cry with relief. Monty is doing just that and Jasper has his arm around his new friend. 

 

 

It's an hour later and she's sitting on the font porch of her and Octavia's cabin when Bellamy saunters up to her, his hands in his pockets. Jasper, Miller, Lincoln and Octavia have gone to bed and Monty is staying with Raven. 

 

 

"You didn't say anything to your mother," He comments, stopping in front of her. He was referring to being stranded on a mysterious island, operating on wolves, her friends dying and the different tribes. 

 

 

Clarke shrugs. "Had a feeling you might slit my throat if I did." 

 

 

"You lied about your best friend."

 

 

"She would've sent a search party for us if she learnt he was dead. You would've definitely slit my throat." 

 

 

"It's not like they would've found the place," He says, lifting one shoulder in a smug kind of shrug.

 

 

"You say that but I made it here, didn't I?" She asks, looking up at him. His smug expression drops before he nods slowly.

 

 

"Which I still don't understand," He says, looking serious again. 

 

 

"Will you ever be willing to tell me what goes on around here? Who you are? What you do?" Clarke asks. 

 

 

"Not yet," He shakes his head. She notes that he said  _yet_.

 

 

"At least will you tell me how you know Thelonius Jaha?" His head snaps up again. "And why you react like _that_ whenever you hear his name?"

 

 

"I wasn't aware your friend Wells was Jaha's son."

 

 

"Why does it make a difference?" 

 

 

"Jaha is on very close terms with a man who- isn't exactly- our best friend," He finishes, rubbing the back of his neck. Clarke releases a soft laugh.

 

 

"So he's best friends with a man you hate?" 

 

 

The corner of his mouth twitches upwards, the nicest expression he's had to offer her since they met. "Yeah, pretty much."

 

 

"Is that man from Ark as well? Like Raven?" Now that she's started asking questions, she can't seem to stop. Maybe she'll get lucky and maybe Bellamy's in a decent enough mood to actually answer. 

 

 

"He's from Mount Weather. His son was from Ark." _Was._

 

 

"When did Raven come here?"

 

 

He gives her a look as if he's just realised she's been asking him too many questions and been making him answer them. 

 

 

"Let me guess, I know too much about your people already?" She questions, rolling her eyes. 

 

 

"I can't stop Raven from answering if she wants to. But that's all you're getting from me."

 

 

"So for every life I save here, I get a question answered?" She jokes.

 

 

"Nah, you got lucky this time."

 

 

"I got lucky I saved a life?" She scoffs.

 

 

"No, you got lucky I was too tired to tell you it's none of your business," He smirks and begins walking backwards in the direction of the medical wing. "Saving lives? That's not luck, it's sheer determination." He nods at her with a certain amount of respect and she knows that's the best thanks she'll get from him. She takes it.

 

+++

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! This was an interesting chapter to write because of some of the cross-overs from the actual show for Raven! Yes, Finn is already dead in this story (you will find out why and how in coming chapters!)  
> Things are going to start getting exciting soon so please do stay on and read! Also hit kudos and review if you enjoyed this, it will 100% motivate me to write more/faster!! Much love x


	6. Chapter 6

When Clarke walks in to the medical wing the next evening, Raven is being taken care of by a woman Clarke hasn't had a chance to interact with yet. Maybe because every time she enters, the older lady leaves. Indra is the same height as Clarke but that, she assumes, is where the similarities stop. Indra is dark-skinned, dark-eyed and dark-haired and she carries herself with confidence Clarke respects and fears at the same time. When she speaks, she has a deep and firm voice and her expression always remains stoic. 

 

 

Clarke is just about to leave when Indra's voice stops her.

 

 

"I hear you have saved lives amongst us, Clarke kom exterrakru."

 

 

Clarke turns to meet eyes with the fierce looking woman. "I wouldn't have let them die."

 

 

"You are an outsider," She states.

 

 

"That doesn't mean I'm not human," Clarke responds. Indra stares at her for a long moment before nodding curtly and leaving the room. 

 

 

Octavia and Lincoln find Clarke and Jasper in the dining hall later, Octavia with a large grin on her face as they sit down across them with their dinner.

 

 

"Raven said Indra complimented you earlier," She says. 

 

 

Clarke shrugs. "She only stated that I saved Raven's life and that I'm an outsider." 

 

 

"Did she scowl at you?"

 

 

"No."

 

 

"Did you she snap at you?"

 

 

"No."

 

 

"Did she hold a knife to your throat when she said you saved lives?"

 

 

"No?"

 

 

"Then it was a compliment. Trust me," Octavia chirps. 

 

 

"She's impressed by you, Clarke," Lincoln says. "Which is a really big deal when it comes from Indra. Especially since you're an outsider. She was there when outsiders harmed us and she _really_ knows how to hold a grudge." He looks uncomfortable at this point and Octavia laughs loudly at his expression. Clarke looks questioningly at them.

 

 

"Indra, like Lincoln, is from the trikru. He explained to you what that is, right?"

 

 

"The tree clan," Clarke says and Octavia nods.

 

 

"The rest of us- Bell, Monty, Miller, me- we're all part of Skaikru. The Sky Clan or as legend calls it- the children of the sky." Clarke leans in curiously, taking in all the new information. "The two tribes never interacted until I stumbled upon Lincoln being attacked and I saved his life. We spent more time together and when he finally decided to tell Indra, who was the commander of his village- she flipped out. Considered it a betrayal to their village on his part. She was completely against the relationship and even went so far as to banishing him." Clarke and Jasper are completely taken in by the story, finding it more like a fairytale than reality. "But then when the Mountain Men attacked her village, we helped save them and it lead to one of the strongest alliances between two clans that history has ever seen. We say she knows how to hold a grudge because it took her still a whole year more to accept Lincoln again as her second."

 

 

"Wow," Jasper says, shaking his head. "That's one heck of a history lesson."

 

 

"Won't Bellamy be angry for telling us so much?" Clarke asks but Octavia snorts in an inelegant manner and waves the question off.

 

 

"You're practically one of us now," She says and something in Clarke's chest tightens at the comment. She hadn't felt part of anything in a long time since her father died. "If you wanted to hurt us, you wouldn't have tried so hard to save us. It's Bell's job to be cautious."

 

 

"Why?" Jasper asks. "Why Bellamy?"

 

 

Octavia hesitates and shares a look with Lincoln. "He feels responsible for all of us. He's kind of- our leader, you could say." 

 

 

"Much like Indra is ours," Lincoln states. Clarke and Jasper nod, not quite understanding the system of leaders and why someone as young as Bellamy would be in charge of an entire village but accepting it nonetheless. 

 

 

+++

 

 

Raven's recovery over the next week is slow but steady. Monty and Jasper build her a brace which just about holds her leg together and Raven's determination does the rest. When she's crossing through the square to get to her work station, there's always somebody watching from the corner of their eye, ready to help her the moment she needs it. When she stumbles, people know Raven and her reluctance towards getting help well enough to pretend not to notice. When she cries out of frustration, Monty just leads her to her work station and tells her to explain her new ideas to him. She calms down, squeezes his hand in thanks and they act like it never happened.

 

 

Lincoln and Indra decide that Clarke can help them in the medical wing so she spends most of the week there, learning new things from Lincoln and even Indra when she's in. When she finally gets a moment alone on the second day Raven is out of the medical wing, she excuses herself and hurries to the work station. Raven looks up from her seat at the large metal table at the centre of the room and waves at her.

 

 

"Hey," Clarke says, coming to lean against the table beside the other girl. "What are you working on?"

 

 

"Radios," Raven says, gesturing to her work. "We have one wired set that's connected to Maya but not enough wireless ones to use amongst us. So I'm working on it."

 

 

"Good plan. Knowing you, you'll have it done in no time." Clarke offers her a smile which she returns slightly. "How're you feeling?"

 

 

"It sucks but I'm dealing with it." Raven shrugs. She looks tired, dark circles around her eyes and her cheeks drawn. "It's a bit frustrating but hey, I'm alive, aren't I? It was good of your mum to help." She sounds like she doesn't really care much but then she clears her throat and swallows hard. "Speaking of which, these radios might be good enough to even connect directly to Ark- so when you and Jasper leave, maybe we can keep in touch."

 

 

"Were you from Ark? Before being here?" Clarke asks, not sure if she's overstepping.

 

 

"Yeah. I didn't really have family so when my friend Finn asked me if I wanted to come here with him, I said why not. What reason did I have to stay back at Ark, you know?" She says.

 

 

Clarke nods because yeah, she does kind of know what Raven means. It's exactly what Jasper and she were talking about. She doesn't ask anymore questions- not about her life at Ark, or how she got here, or who Finn was and how he died. She knows that Raven is like Bellamy- not cautious though, just a lot more guarded. 

 

 

They talk for a few more minutes about little things- how long her mother has been working with AGH, how Clarke knows about Indra and Lincoln and how she's been working with them, how Bellamy's just a bit more bearable now. When Clarke's at the door, ready to leave, Raven calls her name. She turns to see Raven hesitating before pushing to her feet. Clarke waits patiently while Raven hobbles over to her and is then taken completely by surprise when the other girl puts her arms around Clarke's neck and hugs her. Clarke's arms go around Raven's back gently and she returns the hug, feeling Raven breathing deeply. 

 

 

"Thank you. For saving me," She whispers. "I should've said it before but-"

 

 

Clarke shakes her head quickly, holding Raven a little closer. "I'm just glad you're okay." They split apart and Raven quickly swipes at her eyes. "Wanna go for dinner?" Raven looks up, a bit startled. Everyone has been forcing her to take her dinner either in her work station or in her bedroom, depending on where she was already at. They've been treating her like porcelain, like if she took one step out of either places she'd break. They treat her differently. She hates it.

 

 

"The others would just get annoyed and-"

 

 

Clarke laughs, cutting her off. "Since when has Raven Reyes listened to anybody else?" The corners of Raven's mouths move upwards and soon she's smiling widely and has her arm locked with Clarke's as they head out slowly. They're a few steps in when Raven thanks her softly and Clarke squeezes her arm in reply.

 

 

+++ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okok this one was more of a filler, I realise! The next one is going to be more intense and then chapter 8 will literally answer one of the biggest questions of the story at the moment- what is Bellamy so insistent on hiding about themselves? And also lots of relationship development! 
> 
> Stay tuned though!! I hope you liked this one- do review/kudos if you think it's worth it, it would definitely mean the world to me :') x


	7. Chapter 7

 

Bellamy has his eyes trained on her. Lincoln is behind her, operating on the eighteen year old girl on the table in front of him. Indra is working on a twenty-two year old boy on the table on her other side. But he can't stop looking at _her._ There had been an attack on the hunting party that had left earlier in the day. They were supposed to return in two hours but when it passed the fifth, Bellamy took Miller and a few others and left in search of the group. They found three of them injured severely and three missing.

 

 

Clarke's hands are moving quickly, sweat beading at her hairline and slipping down the sides of her face as she barks out orders to Monty, who is assisting her. Octavia is with Lincoln, and a man called Nyko is helping Indra. 

 

 

Bellamy's standing at the foot of the table Clarke is working at, his eyes now alternating between Sterling, who had been shot twice in the stomach, and Clarke, who's beginning to look a little more frightened with every passing second. 

 

 

"Stable," Lincoln announces and Bellamy's eyes flicker to Octavia, whose shoulders sag with relief. Her eyes meet his and then shift to Sterling.

 

 

Clarke doesn't look like she's registering anything going on around her. 

 

 

"Monty, hold on here," She says, showing the other boy how and where to hold his fingers. "Press down." He does and she tries to push her fingers into the wound in which a bullet was still lodged. "Press _down,_ Monty!" She snaps as blood pours out of the wound more rapidly. Monty pushes down harder while Lincoln comes around the table to see how he can help. 

 

 

"Clarke." Her fingers freeze for a moment when she hears her name being whispered brokenly. "Clarke, let me go." She takes a deep breath and shakes her head firmly. 

 

 

"Not going to happen. You need to fight this for me, okay?" She turns to look at Sterling briefly before turning back to the wound, pushing her fingers into the wound carefully again and trying to ignore his hiss of pain. "Mel needs you. This village needs you." 

 

 

"This village doesn't need me." 

 

 

"Yes it does," Bellamy says, moving till he was beside Monty. He grasps Sterling's hand. "We all need each other- that's how it works."

 

 

"Clarke, please." 

 

 

She shakes her head and takes a second to swipe at her eyes. "I just can't locate the bullet for some reason. Once I- once I do, I can-"

 

 

"He's lost a lot of blood and he's losing more," Lincoln says quietly from her left. She swallows hard and shakes her head again, refusing to believe that it's over. It _can't_ be.

 

 

"Clarke, let me go," Sterling repeats and tears are spilling down the sides of his face and he's pale and he says he's feeling cold and can't feel his legs anymore. 

 

 

Clarke chokes back a sob and there's just _so much blood_ and she can't feel anything in the wound and she knows she's doing more damage at this point by trying to search it further. 

 

 

"We- we can do it," She chokes out and suddenly she knows they can't. A pale, cold, shaking hand touches Clarke's and stills her movement.

 

 

"Thank you, Clarke," Sterling whispers, squeezing her hand weakly. 

 

 

Clarke's hands are shaking as she removes them from the wounds. She grasps Sterling's hand with her own bloody ones. 

 

 

"I'm so sorry, Sterling." She says, tears finally falling as she looks at the boy. Monty shifts out of the way a bit and Bellamy moves closer to Sterling, grasps his other hand with one of his and places his other against the younger boy's head. 

 

 

"Take care of Mel," Sterling says, his voice a soft whisper now. His eyes are fluttering shut. 

 

 

"I promise." Bellamy nods. 

 

 

"It's going to be okay, right?" Sterling asks, tears dripping down his cheeks. Monty has shifted away and Octavia is now closer to them, her hand on Sterling's shoulder. 

 

 

"It's going to be okay," Octavia says, nodding. She's fighting tears and reaches out to stroke his hair. "It's going to be okay. I promise." Sterling manages a smile and his eyes are struggling to stay open. His breaths are growing more erratic. 

 

 

"Thank you for-" He takes a deep, disjointed breath, "Thank you for being family." 

 

 

Octavia finally breaks, tears falling down her cheeks as she leans forward to press her forehead lightly against his. "We love you, Martin."

 

 

"It'll be okay." His eyes eyes slip shut and then in seconds, he is still. 

 

 

Clarke doesn't let go of his hand. Even after Lincoln and Monty have moved all the instruments away, cleaned up the table and Sterling's body, she stands there and she doesn't let go. Even after Indra and Nyko are gone, their patient alive and in bed on the other side of the cabin, and Octavia pulls her away and takes her out, she doesn't let go.

 

 

She's upstairs in the bathroom and her blood-soaked clothes are still on her body and she's scrubbing at her hands viciously when Bellamy finds her and he knows she still hasn't let go. 

 

 

"Clarke." She releases a sob and her hands are trembling under the hot water. " _Clarke."_ He recognises the expression on her face and _god,_ does he understand it so he moves forward and puts his hand on top of hers and holds them still. "Stop."

 

 

"I couldn't save him," She chokes out, staring at her hands- their hands- with nothing but pain in her eyes and she suddenly sounds so much like Octavia when she was only sixteen and her friend had been attacked by a wolf in the forest and she had found him moments before he died with his head in her lap- " _I couldn't save him, Bell"._ And so much like Raven when she had crumpled against him, her hands and shirt soaked in the blood of the boy she loved _._

 

 

"You did the best you could."

 

 

She looks at him and he can't believe the look in her eyes. He's seen it before but he never expected to see it in the eyes of an outsider. Not in relation to one of them. But it's _right there_ in front of him. 

 

 

"It wasn't good enough," She chokes out. "I killed him."

 

 

"You _didn't_ kill him," He says firmly. "You gave him as long as you could." 

 

 

"It wasn't enough," She repeats, shaking her head and squeezing her eyes shut.

 

 

"I don't think anything could have been," Bellamy says, squeezing her hands as much for her sake as for his. "Clarke- we live in a.. vicious world. This isn't the first person that's died here and it's not going to be the last. But if we give up, if we don't keep fighting- then we allow the people who hurt us to win."

 

 

"He was eighteen," Clarke says, opening her eyes and looking up at him. She _knew_ Sterling. She had been here for weeks now and she _knows_ these people. They aren't strangers anymore. They're people with names and families and personalities and she _knows_ them. And that makes everything so much more difficult to stomach.

 

 

"I know." He nods slowly. "He was a good person. But it's not your fault. You can't save everybody no matter how hard you try."

 

 

She's silent for a few seconds and then she nods. "Why don't you hate me?" She asks quietly.

 

 

He stares at her and opens his mouth to answer before closing it again, trying to form the right answer. He's suddenly aware that he's standing too close to her and that his hand is on hers and he has to remind himself that she's still an outsider so he steps away from her, withdrawing his hand and moving away after shutting the tap off. 

 

 

He shrugs his shoulder when he reaches the door. 

 

 

"I guess I'm running out of reasons to."   

 

 

+++

 

 

Two nights later, someone knocks on their cabin door and Clarke goes to answer it. When she opens the door and sees the person on the other side, she feels her eyes sting. 

 

 

"Clarke." Mel's eyes are red, as they've been for the past two and a half days. Everything about her- her skin, her cheeks, her eyes, her trembling hands- scream tiredness and grief. And Clarke's not seen any of it from up close because she's avoided Mel as much as possible. She doesn't want to see the anger and the hate in those red bloodshot eyes. "Octavia said I could find you here."

 

 

"Mel-" Clarke doesn't know what to say, how to start her apology. But then arms are wrapping around her neck and a face is burying in her shoulder and fingers are gripping her hair lightly.

 

 

"Thank you," She hears in her ear and she feels like she can't breathe for a moment. "I heard what you did for Sterling. How hard you tried to save him. How much it hurt you to let him go." 

 

 

"I'm sorry, Mel," Clarke manages to say because she's not sure how Mel doesn't hate her. The other younger girl pulls away slightly to look at Clarke.

 

 

"Please don't be. He died protecting our friend. Took two bullets for him. He died because of the mountain men, not because of you," Mel says and then she's hugging Clarke again. "I don't hate you. So _please,_ Clarke, don't hate yourself." This time, Clarke returns the hug, holding the younger girl tightly. She sleeps a little easier at night.

 

 

+++ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I'm so sorry about the delay in chapter updating. I've been struggling a bit with my health so I had to take a break from a lot of things and recover but I'm starting to feel a bit better and hopefully will have the next chapter soon! I hope you enjoyed this chapter (yay for Bellarke development!! And Raven <3 ) Next chapter will be a big reveal so that should be fun to write!! Thank you for being patient with me and for those who are new to the story, hello and thank you for giving me a chance and hope you're liking it! Please do hit kudos or review if you think it's worth it- it would mean the world to me!  
> Much love x


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Sorry it's taken me so long to update- things have been quite busy and I got caught up in writing a couple of one-shots, etc.! But I'm back with this one and plan on getting a lot of this story done in the next few months (hopefully!) To those who are new to this, I hope you're liking it so far! Lots of new stuff and mysteries revealed in this chapter. Enjoy xx

Three days later, Clarke is sitting with Raven in her work station in the afternoon, watching the other girl build radios.

 

 

"This set should connect to each other wirelessly. We only ever had one set a year ago but it got damaged and too many projects came up for me to be able to make a new set but now that this happened-" Raven gestures to her brace, "-I have more time."

 

 

"They'll be useful for you guys, considering how much work is done around here," Clarke says. "What about that set?" She nods towards a single radio, larger than the others, lying on the other side of the work desk.

 

 

"I'm trying to connect that to Ark," Raven says quietly. "If- you know, you and Jas want to keep in touch after you leave. Usually we don't- it's not done- but you both are okay," She finishes with a shrug.

 

 

"Aw, Rae," Clarke feels a smile creep onto her face and she nudges the other girl. "We're okay? That's the nicest thing you've said to us." Raven smiles and swats Clarke away with her hand. "But really- I think both of us would love to keep in touch. We don't- we won't have a lot left once we go back."

 

 

"You will always have us," Raven says, turning back to her work. Clarke watches Raven work for the next five minutes, handing her anything she needed, until Monty pokes his head into the room. 

 

 

"Clarke, I'm heading out to collect some medical herbs and plants from further up in the forest. Lincoln said to ask you if you wanted to come? Since you haven't been out of this village since you arrived." 

 

 

Clarke looks at Raven, almost as if to ask for permission but the other girl smiles at her softly. "Go, have fun. I'll catch up later." 

 

 

Clarke smiles and hops off her stool to follow Monty. They go to the medical wing from where Monty passes her a backpack and puts one on himself. 

 

 

"Harper's coming too."

 

 

"In case we're attacked?" Clarke asks, pulling on a pair of boots that Octavia has left for her. Monty nods. 

 

 

"What if mountain men attack us?" She asks as they head out and join Harper, who is waiting outside for them, a gun strapped to her back.

 

 

"We have a few tricks up our sleeves," Harper answers, sharing an amused look with Monty. Clarke shrugs, accepting the answer. 

 

 

Monty leads her out of the village and up into a forest, Harper taking up the rear. They're quiet for the most part of the hour's trek but Monty often pulls Clarke out of their path to show her particular plants. Clarke makes it a point to run her fingers across any surface she can reach, marvelling in how different the natural world here is than from back in Ark City, where their main source of nature was a large botanical garden. This was something entirely different. 

 

 

"It's beautiful," She whispers, bending down to brush the pad of her thumb against the petals of a bright blue flower.

 

 

"The flowers?" Monty asks, smiling at her awestruck expression.

 

 

"Everything," She says, standing up and spinning in a small circle, looking above her at the tall trees. "It feels like I've never properly really seen the Earth the way it should be seen."

 

 

"It's a terrifying world," Harper comments softly, "but it's a beautiful one if you know where to look." She nods ahead at the path. "This is as far as we can go- I'll go keep watch there while you both get your plants." Monty nods and leads Clarke back a few steps down the hill and bends down in front of a trickling stream of water. Monty shows Clarke what to do and they work together in silence, cutting and bagging, before moving to another area and doing the same.

 

 

"Why was this as far as we could go?" Clarke asks quietly.

 

 

Monty isn't fazed by her question. He passes her a sealed plastic bag and then looks at her. He opens his mouth to answer when they hear Harper yell out. Clarke and Monty fly to their feet and their heads whip in her direction in time to see a man in a full hazmat suit point a rifle at Harper. Clarke surges forward but feels her body fly into shock when something sharp sinks into the side of her neck. She struggles to regain her balance in time to see Monty spinning around and firing his gun at the second man in the hazmat suit who Clarke assumes is the one that shot her. Her attacker falls to the floor and Monty takes a quick look at Clarke before sprinting up the hill towards where Harper was. 

 

 

Her mind is fuzzy and she tips forward but catches herself on her palms. She reaches up blindly till her fingers close around the tranquilliser dart lodged in her neck and she pulls it out and lets it fall to the ground. 

 

 

"CLARKE!" She looks up, her eyes blurry and muscles numbing, to see another man a short distance away from her, rifle pointed in her direction. This time it isn't a tranquilliser gun, but a real one. She tries to get to her feet but stumbles and looks to the right to see Monty sprinting towards her, a determined-kind of expression on his face that she doesn't seem to understand for some reason. Suddenly there's a gunshot but she isn't falling and instead she watches almost in slow-motion as Monty is no longer himself but has somehow transformed right in front of her eyes to a black wolf that throws itself in front of her. Three gunshots rip through the air and she watches Monty- _the wolf-_ fall in front of her. She pushes herself into action and throws herself across the floor, her hands closing around the handgun that Monty dropped while  _transforming._ She turns onto her side from her place on the floor and aiming as closely as she can, pulls the trigger again and again, the shots tearing through her ears. The man in the hazmat suit collapses in front of her and she stops to listen for any more sounds apart from her own harsh breathing before turning towards Monty.

 

 

"Oh my god," She chokes out, scrambling forward on her hands and knees until she's kneeling beside him. Two bullets are lodged in his shoulder- _shoulder? limb?-_ and one in his stomach and her hands shake as she tries to push her fingers through the fur and assess the damage. 

 

 

"Oh god, oh god, oh god," She mumbles, her chest heaving as she withdraws her fingers and pushes her hair out of her face and then across her forehead to wipe away sweat, only to smear blood across her skin. "Okay, okay, first thing- Harper." She pushes to her feet and ignoring the buzz of the tranquilliser, she climbs the hill to where Harper was attacked and looks around frantically for any sign of her. Only her rifle lies on the floor of the forest. Clarke straps it across her chest before returning quickly to Monty. 

 

 

She knows she needs to take him back to the village but he's a _wolf_ and she can't even comprehend any of the events from the past five minutes but she need to _do something_ and she can ask questions later because what she knows for sure is that Monty is a wolf and he saved her life and she needs to save his. She notices his backpack lying a short distance away and retrieves it and empties it out. First-aid tools fall out but none enough to help but then she finds a folded tarp at the bottom and some rope and she doesn't know how she'll manage it but she has to _try._

 

 

She works as quickly as she can, tying the end of the rope to one corner of the tarp. She then places the tarp as close to Monty as possible before heaving his body over and onto it. She adjusts her gun so that it's easily accessible should she need it- _god forbid she does-_ and pulls the rope over her shoulder. With a deep breath, she starts walking, pulling the tarp and Monty behind her. He's heavy and she's exhausted within the first few minutes but she knows she can't stop and keeps pushing forward, her refusal to let Monty die taking over any other emotions. 

 

 

After walking for what felt like three hours, without stopping once, Clarke finally sees the edge of the village and tears immediately well up in her eyes. By the time she reaches the middle of the village square, they are pouring down her cheeks. She's just in time to see Bellamy crossing from the medical hut to his own and she uses her last bit of strength to call his name out. 

 

 

Bellamy turns towards the sound of her voice and his name and his eyes widen as he watches Clarke collapse to her knees. 

 

 

"Octavia! Lincoln!" He yells, running straight to Clarke and falling on his knees in front of her. "Clarke?" He holds her shoulder with one hand and her face with the other and tilts her head upwards to look at him. "Are you okay?"

 

 

" 'M fine- Monty- it's Monty-" She pushes him away and gestures weakly behind her. His eyes flick to the tarp before he swears and stumbles to his feet to get to Monty. 

 

 

"Octavia! Linc-"

 

 

"We're here!" 

 

 

Clarke looks up to see Lincoln and Octavia running towards them. Octavia skids to her knees in front of Clarke, taking her face in her hands. "Are you hurt?"

 

 

"N-no, get Monty." Clarke says, pushing her towards where her brother and Lincoln are hunched over Monty. "He's been shot thrice."

 

 

"Okay- okay, Bell and Lincoln have got him." Octavia says, one hand now rubbing her shoulder. "Are you hurt?" She asks again, her eyes moving quickly across Clarke's body. She shakes her head and the movement takes the last bit of her energy and she falls forward, Octavia's shoulder catching her as her body goes limp.

 

 

*** 

 

 

Clarke wakes up because of a throbbing pain in her head. She tries to move her hand to rub at her forehead but a stabbing pain shoots up her arm and she releases a groan.

 

 

"Clarke?" A deep, distant voice reaches her ears. 

 

 

She forces her eyes open and blinks to adjust to the light right above her. As soon as she registers the medical bay's ceiling and the familiar feeling of their sheets- somehow both rough and soft- beneath her palms, the events of her trip come rushing back to her and she suddenly remembers-

 

 

" _Monty!"_ Despite her protesting muscles, she pushes herself up only to cry out in pain and have someone push her back down gently by the shoulders.

 

 

"Clarke, calm down." Bellamy's face is now hovering somewhere above hers. 

 

 

"Monty? Is he-?" She rushes out.

 

 

"He's okay," Bellamy says firmly before dropping his voice. "He'll take a while to recover, but he's alive." He nods his head to Clarke's right and she turns.

 

 

Monty is lying in the bed a short distance away from her's, body bandaged waist up and across his shoulders. His eyes are closed and he looks completely at peace and she would have been worried had his chest not been rising and falling steadily and surely. She smiles when she sees Jasper seated between their beds on a chair, cheek rested against his palm and his eyes closed. 

 

 

"He's been there the whole time. He was convinced he wasn't going to sleep until you woke up but it was an- eventful evening here as well." 

 

 

"What do you mean?" Clarke asks. Bellamy pulls up a chair and sits by her bed, leaning forward with his arms resting against his thighs and clasped at his hands. 

 

 

"We'll tell you about it when you and Monty are both up but-"

 

 

"Bellamy saved my life." Both their heads snap towards Jasper, who is blinking blearily. "Hey, Clarke," He says, pushing towards her and wrapping her delicately in a hug which she returns despite her aching body. "I don't know what I would have done if I had- if I had lost you." He pulls away and blinks away tears.

 

 

"You never have to find out, Jas." He smiles and sits back down, pulling his chair slightly closer to her. "What do you mean Bellamy saved your life?"

 

 

"It's a long story but-" Jasper glances at Bellamy, almost embarrassed but with awe in his eyes that was never there before, "Dax had me cornered and decided he was either going to kill the outsider or the person who allowed the outsider to stay. Bellamy made a decision and swapped places with me."

 

 

Clarke turns towards Bellamy, too tired to be shocked but not enough to not be completely grateful and reluctantly in awe as well. Maybe he wasn't everything she thought he was.

 

 

And from the look he had in his eyes when she woke up asking for Monty, she knew he no longer believed that she was everything _he_ had thought she was either. 

 

 

"How did you both survive?" She asked.

 

 

"Raven saved us," Bellamy says simply, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "Uh- anyway, I should- I have some work. Clarke, you need more rest. Jasper, go to bed."

 

 

"Yes, dad." Jasper mutters and Clarke is surprised to see Bellamy smirk and shake his head. 

 

 

"Hey," Clarke calls out just as Bellamy pushes aside the curtain at the doorway. He turns to look at her. "Long way from whatever the hell we want, huh?"

 

 

The corner of his lips turn up slightly, "Long way from being just an outsider." 

 

 

**** 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you enjoy this one! Lots and lots of information up ahead but lots of Bellamy/Clarke interaction which was nice to write :') Do hit kudos/bookmarks if you deem fit and leave comments/criticism/general enthusiasm if you have a free moment as it would mean the world to me :) Thank you for reading xx

When Monty wakes up, Jasper has just stepped out for a shower and Clarke is seated at his bedside with a book Octavia has leant her.   
  
  
She looks up when Monty stirs and watches as his eyes slowly flutter open. She lowers the book and waits patiently for him to gather his bearings, eyes flitting around until they land on her.  
  
  
He doesn't say anything and she places the book on the table beside the bed and moves to perch on the mattress beside him. He stares up at her and his eyes fill up with tears.   
  
  
"It's okay, you're okay," Clarke says softly, stroking his hair.   
  
  
"Thank you," He chokes out, tears sliding down the sides of his face and into the pillow, "Thank you, Clarke."  
  
  
"We saved each other," Clarke says, leaning over to press her forehead against his, "We're okay."   
  
  
When she pulls away, she has tears in her eyes and both of them reach up to wipe their eyes at the same time, making them laugh.  
  
  
"Clarke, Bellamy is-," They turn to see Raven hobbling into the room, one hand holding a walkie-talkie and the other pressed against her right thigh. "Monty," She breathes and moves towards them as fast as she can. Monty sits up slowly and hugs her tightly. "It's good to see you with your eyes open."   
  
  
He smiles. "It's good to see you too. How are the oth- oh god. Harper." His eyes snap between Raven and Clarke. "How long have I been unconscious?"  
  
  
"A day and a half," Clarke says. "I told them what I saw but maybe you can tell them more. I don't exactly know what Bellamy and the council have been planning."  
  
  
Raven nodded. "That's what I was coming to tell you, Clarke. Bellamy wanted to see you in the council room. I think he's ready to talk."  
  
  
Clarke shouldn't be surprised but she still finds her heart skipping a beat. She's finally going to find out- well, she wasn't exactly sure what she was going to find out. But she was all kinds of nervous, excited and scared.   
  
  
"Thank you," Clarke nods. "Monty, I'll get Jasper. He's been waiting for you to open your eyes since the moment we got here."   
  
  
She smiles and squeezes his hand, touches Raven's arm and leaves the medical cabin to first tell Jasper that Monty was awake and then go over to the council room, a cabin on the other side of the village.   
  
  
When she steps through the doorway of the council room, a cabin larger than most of the other public ones like the medbay and Raven's workstation, she finds herself in a short dark corridor. She moves through it and reaches a light brown wooden door. She twists the knob to find that it swings open easily and she is now in a small room whose walls are covered with blueprints. Bellamy is standing facing the wall opposite her with his back to her.  
  
  
"So this is the famous council room where the mysterious council makes earth-shattering decisions for the village," Clarke says airily. He doesn't startle at her voice as he probably heard her come in. He turns around and she shoots a small smile at him. She isn't sure why she smiles. Perhaps because she decides they've reached a place in their- _relationship_ where they don't have to be hostile anymore. And perhaps because she feels that something has shifted in regards to her place within the village. She feels more part of them than ever before and it feels  _nice._  
  
  
"Basically," Bellamy says and she is so caught up in analysing her own smile that she forgets what she had said that warranted his response. And then when he smiles back at her, she is thrown off guard completely and is left staring at him, forgetting for a moment what she's doing there.   
  
  
She finally shakes her head and goes over to stand beside him, looking at the blueprint he had been looking at. It's the largest one across all walls and is of the inside of a mountain.   
  
  
"Is that Mount Weather?" She asks. He nods his head.   
  
  
"This side of the wall has been reserved for Mount Weather years before I was born. As we learn more about the Mountain, the wall gets updated," He waves his hand gesturing at the whole wall and she takes in the variety of papers stuck on it. There are large poster-size blueprints, smaller A4 sheets detailing particular people's profiles and weapons, and smaller post-its with various handwritings' scrawls on them scattered all around. She would need an entire day to be able to read every bit of information, she thinks.   
  
  
"Were you born here then?" Clarke asks, deciding it might be a good place to start.   
  
  
He bobs his head, "Yeah. Same as O."  
  
  
"Am I allowed to just… ask questions?" Clarke ventures. He smirks before nodding again. He takes a seat on one of the chairs at the table on the left side of the room, just next to a door that leads further into the cabin. She sits down across him. "Are you all wolves?"  
  
  
"Not all of us. Our tribe only dates back three generations. My mother's, my grandfather's and my great grandmother's. When my great-grandmother's generation found this part of the island, almost every single person in that group of people was a wolf. There were possibly around 40 of them. Once they settled into the village, some of them brought in loved ones from beyond the island. Not many- around 20 more. So when they had children, the population increased and my grandfather's generation grew up with around a hundred people in the village. Not all of the children in his generation were werewolves- maybe 90% of them. When my mother was born, they had around 120 people in the village and 80% of them were wolves. For O and my generation, we're living amongst around 160 people and close to 80% of us are wolves."  
  
  
"So the werewolf gene sometimes doesn't pass on?" Clarke asks.  
  
  
"Yeah. Or it passes on but just remains dormant. Because the gene is a dominant one but sometimes even when two werewolves have a child, the child never ends up transforming. But it doesn't necessarily pass on when a werewolf marries a human who is not at all related to our people."  
  
  
"Do you have a lot of those people around?"  
  
  
"Not many. But some."  
  
  
"Like Raven?"  
  
  
"Exactly. We stopped accepting outsiders five years ago, though." Bellamy looks uncomfortable before continuing, "My great-grandmother was the leader of the wolves. We have this ability to communicate non-verbally while in wolf form and they discovered that her voice was the strongest and it helped that she basically lead them to thriving as a village. She made all the decisions and stratergised how to form alliances with other tribes and just kept them all alive. When my grandfather was born, he became leader of his pack. The word for leader amongst the packs across all tribes is-  
  
  
"Alpha?" Clarke guessed. He looks surprised, confirming that she was right.   
  
  
"Or Commander. How did you know?"  
  
  
"I read the Twilight series," She says, looking a bit embarrassed.   
  
  
"I… don't know what that is," Bellamy admits, looking confused, "Is it some sort of scripture?"  
  
  
Clarke laughs loudly. "I would hope not. Not like I have anything _against_ the books- honestly, I quite enjoyed them, but-" She glances at him to see that he looks all the more perplexed and she chuckles and cuts her own ramblings off, "-never mind. Anyway, Alphas, continue."  
  
  
"Right," He says, frowning for a second. "So my grandfather became the Alpha of his pack. He was the oldest of three brothers. He had three children- a boy and girl two years apart and then a younger girl, my mother. Everyone thought that naturally the elder son would become Alpha so it came as a complete shock when my mother became the Alpha instead."  
  
  
"How does one know that they're the Alpha?" Clarke asks, leaning forward on the table.  
  
  
"You just- _know_ ," He says. "I can't really explain it even though so many people have asked. A wolf remains the Alpha usually till the age of forty or if they're particularly strong, fifty. After that, when the time comes for the next Alpha to rise, things jus _feel_ different. The next Alpha's voice ends up being the loudest and strongest in the pack, more so than the previous Alpha. You can suddenly easily read everybody else's thoughts but it is much harder for everyone else to read yours. And it's strange and a little bit scary but people just tend to _follow_ you.Your orders and your decisions, even if they don't agree. I mean, a pack _has_ to follow its Alpha's commands but there's something inherent about it all."  
  
  
"You're the Skaikru Alpha," Clarke realises. She should've realised it much earlier but it occurs to her only just then. The way he protects his people, the way people _follow_  him.   
  
  
He nods curtly. "Yes. I became Alpha five years ago."   
  
  
"You're how old now?"  
  
  
"Twenty-four."  
  
  
"You became Alpha at _nineteen?_ " She says, eyes wide. "Isn't that one heck of a responsibility for a teenager?" And then it hits her that if he became Alpha so young then… "Your mother died." She almost clamps her hands across her mouth in embarrassment, not meaning to have blurted out the insensitive words.  
  
  
He doesn't look angry, though, just resigned. "Yes. She was killed."  
  
  
And slowly, the pieces of the puzzle that is Bellamy Blake begin to come together. "By an outsider."  
  
  
He looks surprised at her deduction and nods. "Yeah. He came seeking refuge in our village, looking beaten up and lost. My mother allowed him to live amongst our people and he stayed with us and learnt about us. We didn't know then that he was the son of the man who leads Mount Weather. He thought by killing the Skaikru Alpha, he would become the next one."  
  
  
"Is that possible?"   
  
  
"Often, yes. If the person who carries out the kill is of wolf heritage and has a strong mind, they can become the next Alpha."  
  
  
"So it isn't necessarily hereditary?"   
  
  
Bellamy hesitates before answering, "For Skaikru, it always has been. Some other tribes work differently. Trikru, for example, doesn't use heritage. The current Alpha appoints an apprentice or two of sorts who they train as they grow up. They're trained harder than everybody else to basically be the best. When the Alpha thinks they can no longer lead, they 'pass' the title down. It's hard to explain and I'm not sure i understand it entirely either but I suppose with all the training, the apprentice's voice becomes louder and stronger. And there's this ceremony that is performed- an ascension for the next Alpha. Azgeda, the Ice Nation, are very different. For them, when they think that the current Alpha is coming close to the end of their ruling, they hold what they call a Conclave. In the Conclave, three of the strongest village children fight to the death to see who is 'worthy' of being Alpha." Clarke's mouth drops open in shock. Bellamy swallows hard. "The victor becomes the next Alpha."  
  
  
"That is _awful!_ " Clarke exclaims. "I much prefer your method."  
  
  
Bellamy barks out a laugh. "Me too. Children should not be born and bred to fight each other. And nobody below the age of at least twenty-two should be tasked with leading a tribe."  
  
  
"What age does the next Alpha usually start at?"  
  
  
"Between twenty-five and thirty-five, depending on when the previous Alpha steps down."  
  
  
"Wait, if this outsider killed your mother, _did_ he become Alpha?" Clarke asks.  
  
  
He hesitates and glances up from the table, where he had been picking at the wood, and at her with his shoulders tensing. Finally, he sighs but his shoulders remain taut. "We didn't wait to find out. I killed him."   
  
  
He's looking at her in a way that makes Clarke want to shift in her seat because she knows he's evaluating her reaction. But she sits still and holds his gaze. "Good," She says, "I'm sure the bastard got what he deserved." She didn't think she'd ever feel like _murder_ was justified (she's still struggling severely with having shot the Mountain Man) but looking at the boy in front of her and imagining how it could possibly have felt to have welcomed a stranger into their home only to have them _kill_ their leader, his _mother_ , making him the leader of the village at the young age of nineteen. She can't imagine it so she says what her heart screams at her to say.   
  
  
His shoulders relax and he nods.   
  
  
"How did you do it? Lead a tribe so young?" She asks softly.  
  
  
He barks out a laugh, humourless. "It wasn't easy. I was grieving my mother, trying to come to terms with the fact that I had killed a man, taking care of my fifteen year old sister and leading a _whole village_ into coping with the events that had just unfolded all the while trying to stay alive? It was fucked up. But the council helped me. The whole _village_ helped me. And we got through it."   
  
  
"Your mother would be really proud of you, Bellamy," She says honestly, meeting his gaze. Her opinion about him had been shifting over the past few days but all of this helps her understand him so much more. Looking at him now, he feels like a completely different person to her.   
  
  
He nods. She changes the topic, "How many tribes are there?  
  
  
"There used to be 13, including us," He leans back into his seat. He names them while counting off his fingers, "Trikru, the Tree Clan; Trishanakru, the people of the Glowing Forest; Azgeda, the Ice Nation; Floukru, the Boat People; Sankru, the Desert Clan; Yujleda, the Broadleaf Clan; Boudalankru, the Rock Line People; Ouskejon Kru, the Blue Cliff People; Ingranronakru, the Plains Riders; Delfikru, the Delphi Clan; Podakru, the Lake People; Louwoda Kliron, the Shallow Valley Clan; and us, Skaikru, the Sky People." He seems to struggle with naming the last few before his own. "Every tribe except ours has existed for more than half a century on this island. But over the years, some came together to form one clan. So Yujleda and Ingranronakru joined Trikru but since Trikru had more people, they took on their name. Trishanakru was joined by Shallow Valley and Delphi, I think? Boat People and Lake People came together to be Floukru. Blue Cliff and Rock Line came together to be Ouskejon-Boudalankru. I think the population of Sankru decreased and splintered into other clans a few decades ago so the clan ceased to exist. Azgeda stands alone. And so do we."  
  
  
"Wow," Clarke says, her head reeling from all the names. "Why do you call some by their English names and some by their tribe names?"   
  
  
"It depends how frequently I interact with them or have to speak about them. Since we have an alliance with Trikru, I know their history better so I use the words Yujleda and Ingranronakru more. But with Shallow Valley, Delphi and such I don't really need to speak to them so it's easier to remember their English names."  
  
  
"Do you need to interact with their Alphas a lot?"  
  
  
"The Trikru Alpha or Commander is Indra so you know that our clans are very close and interact a lot. We have a very strong peace alliance with Ouskejon-Boudalankru, whose Alpha is Ilian so we meet at least once a month to make sure our treaty is being honoured from both sides. Floukru stay away from any politics and wars between the clans because they're quite secluded from the rest of us. Their Alpha is Luna and she prefers not to interact with anyone. The Trishanakru's Commander is Lexa and Azgeda's is Roan and we prefer not to get involved with them because of bad history."  
  
  
"What's the difference between Alphas and Commanders?" Clarke asks.  
  
  
"They're both titles that are based on ages and personal preferences, really," Bellamy says, "All of Lexa's people, for example, call her Commander Lexa. Same with Roan. They expect their people and other clans to call them such. Indra and Luna allow their people to call them by their names, unless they are in some kind of battle or war but they expect the people of other clans to call them Commander. Though Indra allows the few of us in Skaikru to call her by her name. Ilian and I are the youngest commanders amongst the six clans. He's twenty-three and became Commander only this year after their previous Alpha stepped down due to a permanent injury. We don't expect our people to call us Commander, nor people from other clans but some out of respect refer to us as Alpha. I suppose once we're a few years older, they might change to Commander."  
  
  
"How old are the other Commanders?"   
  
  
"Lexa is twenty-eight, though she became Commander at twenty-four. Indra is forty-two. Roan and Luna are around thirty, I think."  
  
  
"Is Indra the most respected?"   
  
  
"I reckon it would be a a close match between Indra and Lexa, since they lead the biggest clans. I think Lexa is more respected because she's young but as ruthless as Indra, and because she became Commander at such a young age."  
  
  
"I mean, really _you_ should get the award for youngest Commander," Clarke says and he breathes out a laugh.  
  
  
"I doubt I could ever match them in ruthlessness, though. And I don't think I want to either. And I can fight well as a wolf and I'm a good shot with a rifle but I'm not great with hand-to-hand. Octavia is ten times stronger and quicker than me as a human, mostly since she began working with Indra. Lexa actually trained under Indra as well for a while because Lexa's mother was from Trikru and her father from Trishanakru. So Lexa has a lot of respect for Indra."  
  
  
"Who is Indra training to be the next Alpha?"   
  
  
"I don't actually know," Bellamy says, frowning. "Lincoln has been her second for a very long time, but he prefers healing to fighting, which she understands as she and Nyko taught him everything he knows. I see Octavia training under her _a lot_ but since she's Skaikru, I'm not sure Indra will allow her to be the next Trikru Commander."  
  
  
Clarke is silent, nodding and allowing all the information to sink in. Finally, "So much information."  
  
  
He laughs, the corner of his eyes crinkling up a bit. "You earned it. Take it as a massive compliment that Monty transformed for you, by the way."  
  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
  
"Monty, like Lincoln, would prefer to not fight if they had the choice. He hates fighting and, unlike Lincoln though, prefers to stay in his human form. Even when he's in a dangerous situation, he reaches for his gun instead of transforming like the rest of us. I can probably count the number of times he's transformed in the past year on one hand. And since he's so rarely in his wolf form, he finds it difficult and even a little painful to shift. The last time I remember him shifting was when Miller was attacked by someone two months ago."  
  
  
"Miller isn't a wolf?"  
  
  
Bellamy shakes his head. "His father is but his mother had the dormant gene so I guess that passed on. If Miller _is_ a wolf, he doesn't know it yet."  
  
  
Before Clarke can respond, the door that Clarke had entered through swings open. In walks a lady in her sixties with grey hair tied into a tight braid that falls down one shoulder and she's dressed in a long black plain dress with long-sleeves and a round collar.  
  
  
"Bellamy!" The lady exclaims, holding her arms out and walking towards him.  
  
  
"Aunty Celena," Bellamy smiles, standing up and hugging the older lady. He splits apart and turns to Clarke. "Clarke, this is my and O's Aunt, my mother's sister. Aunty Celena, this is Clarke."  
  
  
"Finally, I get to meet you, my dear," Aunty Celena walks towards Clarke, who stands up and holds her hand out to greet the lady. Celena laughs and waves dismissively before wrapping Clarke in a hug. "You have done too much for our village to be so formal."  
  
  
Clarke smiles as they split apart. "It's nice to meet you, ma'am."  
  
  
"Please, love, call me Aunty Celena," She says, smiling warmly. "Amongst my siblings and myself, only Aurora had children so I have only two who could call me Aunt and none to call me mother."  
  
  
"You're practically our mother, Aunty," Bellamy says. "And literally _all_ of us call you Aunty, don't mope," He teases. She laughs and hits him lightly on the arm, before turning a bit more serious.  
  
  
"David, Monroe and I just returned from speaking with Alpha Ilian," She says to Bellamy. Clarke remembers Monroe as the girl who occasionally works in the medbay, the one with the tight crown braids, and David as Nathan Miller's father. "He says that four people have gone missing from hunts and treks over the past year. However, there's been an increase in attacks from Reapers over the past few months."  
  
  
Bellamy frowns, nodding. "I'll make a note of it."  
  
  
"I'll go let Raven know as well, so that she can start on a few more Silver guns," Celena says before nodding goodbye to them and leaving the cabin.   
  
  
"Reapers?" Clarke inquires as Bellamy withdraws a pen from his back pocket and scratches on a few words to a poster marked ' _Reaper sightings'._  
  
  
"They're rogue wolves," Bellamy answers, his eyes scanning the chat for a few seconds before turning to her. "We aren't sure where they come from and what they are but they're like nothing we've encountered before. Octavia and I faced one a few months ago while we were doing a recce of an area near to Mount Weather and we had to fight harder than we ever have before. They're out of control, ruthless killing machines."  
  
  
Clarke feels deeply unsettled and is still reeling from the amount of information she learnt over the past half hour. She has so many more questions to ask- about Mount Weather, about the island, about the Sky People, but she can feel a slight headache coming on and it's almost dinner time so she decides to save them for later. For the first time in the two weeks that they have been here, Bellamy eats dinner with her. Raven is already at the table with Miller while Jasper is eating in the medbay with Monty. Bellamy and Clarke join Raven and Miller and a few minutes later, Octavia and Lincoln sit down with them.   
  
  
"Indra has never worked me that hard, I swear," Octavia groans, stabbing her meat with a fork and shovelling it into her mouth.   
  
  
"Learnt anything new today, Clarke?" Raven asks after laughing at her friend's table manners, or lack thereof.  
  
  
"So much," Clarke says. She looks at Lincoln, "You were the wolf I operated on during my first day here." He nods, smiling warmly. "Wow. I remember seeing Octavia pressing her face close to your's in wolf form and thinking she must be out of her bloody mind."  
  
  
Octavia and Raven laugh loudly while the boys share a smile. Bellamy says, "I would argue that Octavia is _usually_ out of her bloody mind."  
  
  
"Hey!" His sister protests, pointing her fork threateningly at him. He smiles wider and pushes her hand away and she sticks her tongue out at him. Clarke feels warmth spread through her system and a feeling of belonging settle inside her and she decides that she could really get used to this.


	10. Chapter 10

  
Octavia had mentioned to Clarke that most of the other clans distrust Skaikru. She had added that it was because they feared the Sky People. When Clarke asks why, she replies with "Raven." And then explains that they, unlike all the other clans, have technology. Whatever technology that the generations before them had was replicated and improved by Raven. Even though she was allowed to only work with what they had in Skaikru territory, she created things that had the power to stop armies. Clarke learns about the Silver guns when she walks into the workstation the next afternoon.  
  
  
Raven is leaning over a rifle, her lower lip caught between her teeth in intense concentration. She's taking notes on a scrap of paper and looks up when Clarke enters.  
  
  
"Hey," Clarke greets her.  
  
  
Raven mutters a "hey" in response while scratching down a few more words and then puts the pen down, sighs and flops into the stool behind her. "How are you doing?"  
  
  
"Good, and you?"  
  
  
"Busy as hell. Bellamy managed to snag the weapon the Mountain Man used to shoot Monty from their search of the scene yesterday so I've been studying the bullets."  
  
  
"How does that help?" Clarke asks, pulling out a second stool from under the desk and sitting down.  
  
  
"You know the bullet that hit Lincoln when you first arrived?" Clarke nods. "Before, whenever the Mountain Men attacked the wolves, they would use normal bullets or very strong tranquillisers." Clarke lifts a hand to touch the spot the dart had pierced her neck. "The ones they use on humans pale in comparison. Anyway, normal bullets that can kill humans on impact don't affect wolves that much. It injures them, sure, but rarely can it be a kill shot. The one that Lincoln was shot with was surprisingly strong so once it was out of him, Monty and I checked it out. We found traces of silver in it."  
  
  
"Have they ever used silver on wolves before Lincoln?"  
  
  
"They don't usually shoot to injure or kill, they shoot to capture. They can't afford for the wolves to lose blood when shot, " Raven says, the same anger flashing through her eyes that she has seen in everybody else's eyes when talking about the Mountain. "They probably used Silver on Lincoln because he was fighting too strongly against them and they were afraid. Did Bellamy tell you why they capture wolves?" Clarke shakes her head. "Basically Mount Weather has existed since before any clan can remember. Nobody knows where they came from but what we do know is that for some reason, the air that we breathe is very toxic to them. If they come into contact with it, it's like radiation for them." Clarke recalls the hazmat suits and the getups finally make sense. "So their entire population, which we estimate is around three hundred, is stuck inside that Mountain which acts like a Nuclear bunker for them. It protects them. Around three decades ago, though, they discovered that by transfusing our blood into their bodies, it can cure them of temporary toxic air exposure. Or 'radiation' is what we call it when we talk about the air the Mountain Men can't breathe. But more recently, in the past seven or eight years, they found that by transplanting wolf bone marrow into their bodies, it allows them to be permanently in contact with the outside air, no consequences."  
  
  
"Is that why they've been taking wolves from the villages?" Clarke asks, swallowing hard.  
  
  
Raven nods curtly, angrily. "They're too afraid to walk into villages but they wait in lands just outside tribe territories to capture them, either in human form or wolf form."   
  
  
"The wolves that are captured- are they ever seen again?" Clarke asks, almost too afraid to know the answer.  
  
  
Raven is silent for a few moments, hesitating. Then she says, "Since I've been here, only one. And that's because she wasn't a wolf. And she got fucking lucky." Raven then stands up and unbuttons her trousers. She slips the waistband down her thighs, with some difficulty because of her brace, till they're near her knees and then turns slightly so that Clarke can see the side of her thigh. There's a heavy impression of a circle, the tissue within it still healing. "They put a drill through my skin and my bones without any anaesthesia. I felt every single second of it."  
  
  
Clarke feels her stomach churn violently and tears well up in her eyes almost instantly. Raven pulls her trousers up and buttons them, sitting down again.   
  
  
"It's okay," She whispers, "It's over. You know Maya, right?" Clarke nods, wiping at her eyes but she finds that the tears keep falling. "So she didn't know what the Mountain Men were up to behind closed lab doors. After they operated on me, they realised that I didn't have wolf blood. But they hung me upside down to drain my blood anyway, because it wasn't enough to make a whole person walk out into the open but it would be enough to cure temporary radiation exposure. But I escaped. And I made it out into a corridor. That's when Maya found me. She- she couldn't really believe what she was seeing. But she hid me and then when the guards were swapping patrol, she helped me escape through this hatch in the dam behind the mountain. I told her that there were more of our people inside and she said she can't help them without being discovered but she gave me the radio signal for her room so that if there was anything she needed to tell us or if we thought she could help with anything, we could contact her."  
  
  
"How did you get home?" Clarke asks, her throat tight and her stomach lurching every time she imagines Raven being strung upside down in a lab with tubes attached to her body. She feels like she can't breathe when she thinks of Raven screaming while the Mountain Men drilled a hole into her body.   
  
  
Raven breathes out a humourless, pained laugh. "I almost didn't. I was two-months new on the island, didn't know my directions back to this village, so I just kept crawling till I reached somewhere. Turns out it was the complete opposite direction to here. Luna found me." She glances up to see if Clarke knows who Luna is and Clarke nods. "She took me to her village and they treated my leg before she escorted me back here."  
  
  
Clarke wipes at her eyes again and clears her throat, breathing deeply. "I'm sorry you went through that, Raven."  
  
  
Raven nods. "Like I said, it's over. But just because it's over for me, doesn't mean it is for everyone. What I went through- it only makes me want to take down these bastards even more."   
  
  
Clarke reaches out and squeezes her shoulder, more for her own sake than Raven's. She glances at the rifles, "What are you working on?"  
  
  
"I call them Silver Guns. So with the silver bullets we got from Lincoln, I'm working on two things. The first is making my own bullets. Stronger ones to try and defeat the Reapers. You know what those are, right?" Clarke nods. "Reapers are found near the Mountain so if we want any chance of getting closer to Mount Weather, we need a way to knock the Reapers out. If such a small trace of Silver could injure Lincoln so much, I'm hoping that a whole lot of it can kill a a Reaper if necessary. The second thing I'm doing is trying to reverse-engineer the effects of the Silver. Wolves have something in their blood that reacts badly to the Silver, so if I can figure out what it is then maybe I can create a cure of some sort, or a vaccination."  
  
  
"That sounds really difficult."  
  
  
"It is. I'm not holding onto much hope for the latter because I have next to no lab resources to do it. But the bullets are going well." Raven pats the rifle in front of her. "Third one I've made that's loaded and ready to go." She nods across the table to Clarke's side, where two more rifles sit. "Hopefully we can test them out soon."  
  
  
"That's amazing. Do you need to get your projects approved by the council?"  
  
  
Raven laughs boisterously. "What are two sixty-year olds, two forty year-olds and the Blakes going to tell me that could possibly stop me?" Clarke smiles at this. "The council owes me so very rarely do they question me. Also, they kind of love me," She shrugs.   
  
  
"I can see why that would be very easy to do," Clarke says softly, staring at the girl in front of her in awe. Raven winks at her. She gets off the stool to reach for the toolbox in the middle of the desk when something large leaps into the workstation.   
  
  
Raven has reacted faster than Clarke even has any time to process who or what it is and when everything is still around her, Clarke sees that there is a light brown wolf poised for attack at the door, teeth bared.   
  
  
Raven has one of the rifles over her shoulder and aimed at the wolf.  
  
  
"Clarke, get the other one," She instructs and Clarke reaches for one of the rifles on her side of the desk and aims it at the wolf, thankful that Miller had given her a crash-course a few days ago. "Bellamy tell you about Lexa?" Clarke nods as the wolf growls. "Did he mention she's a bitch?" Clarke says nothing, noticing that the wolf has a string around her neck with a wooden triangular pendant attached. On each corner of the pendant is carved a symbol. Clarke has seen Bellamy wear a similar wooden pendant except his has only one symbol on it. "Back her into the square, I'll join you after radioing Octavia. Take this one and ask Miller to join you." Keeping the rifle on her shoulder and her hand on the trigger, Raven passes Clarke one of the wireless radios that she has finished.   
  
  
Clarke takes it and steps forward, feeling adrenaline surging through her body. "Back up into the square," She says clearly to the wolf. Lexa stares at her and Clarke repeats her words again, slower and with more warning. Lexa does as Clarke asks, backing up with her eyes occasionally flicking over her shoulder, until she is standing at the centre of the square. Clarke notices another dozen pairs of eyes glowing out at her from the forest beginning at the edge of the village behind Lexa.   
  
  
She's about to radio Miller when his voice comes through the speaker first.  
  
  
"Miller here. We have a problem. Does anyone copy?"  
  
  
She presses the button on the side of the radio, not moving her rifle away from Lexa or relaxing her aim. "Clarke here. What's going on?"  
  
  
"I'm at the docks with five others and we're surrounded by Trishanakru wolves. We can't engage without Bellamy's orders."  
  
  
Clarke considers her options. Bellamy, Octavia and Lincoln have gone to the Trikru village for a meeting with their council. She knows that on Skaikru land, other tribes cannot attack unless instigated by Skaikru people. But Octavia has warned her that if a fight were to break out between Skaikru and most other tribes, it would go on until only one side is left standing. And that while the Skaikru warriors are strong, they are still not as strong as Trikru or Trishanakru.   
  
  
"Do not engage," Clarke says to Miller.   
  
  
Miller clicks his radio and she can hear him hesitate before saying, "Copy that. Awaiting further orders."  
  
  
Clarke sees Raven appear at the doorway of the workstation and she waits till the other girl is standing next to her, her rifle steady, before relaxing her own and addressing Lexa.  
  
  
"If you want to talk, you need to transform." Lexa just stares at her and some of the wolves behind her growl.  
  
  
"Giving orders to the Commander of another tribe is disrespectful," Raven says, except she's smirking. "She usually talks to Bellamy in wolf form."  
  
  
"I don't give a damn. If she wants to be heard, she's going to need to listen to me." They stare Lexa and her wolves down until Lexa takes a small step back. Two of the wolves behind her come to stand beside her and Clarke notices that the one on her right has a black cloth folded on its back. It shrugs purposefully until the black cloth is sliding off. The two wolves expertly manoeuvre the cloth till it is opened up and then pick the top two corners up with their mouths  and raise it. Clarke watches as Lexa's wolf form transforms behind the cloth and then she is human. She sees that Lexa is a light-skinned brown-eyed young woman, twenty-eight Bellamy had said, with wavy brown hair that matches her wolf fur. She takes the corners of the long black sheet from the wolves by her side and wraps it around her like a strapless gown.  
  
  
She steps forward and Clarke can see why she is both respected and feared amongst tribes. She has black paint smudged around her eyes, black swirling tattoos like Lincoln covering her arms and curling around the back of her neck, and her figure, though slim, screams strength and fierceness.   
  
  
"Clarke kom exterrakru," Lexa says, "I have heard much about you."  
  
  
"What do you want, Lexa?" Raven demands, her voice controlled but angry. Clarke recalls that Lexa was an Alpha who expected everybody to call her Commander. But Raven clearly had other plans. She wonders if the _bad history_ Bellamy had mentioned was related to Raven.   
  
  
"I am here to propose a deal," She says.  
  
  
"The only way that we are going to listen to anything you have to say is if your army stands down," Clarke says firmly.   
  
  
"You will listen to what I have to say or my army _will_ finish yours," Lexa says. Clarke hears growling but is surprised to find that it comes from behind her. She looks over her shoulder to see five wolves poised to attack behind her.  
  
  
"Your army cannot attack ours until ours acts first and I can assure you that that will _not_ happen," Clarke responds, noting her natural use of personal pronouns but filing it away for later. " _Nothing_ is going to happen while your people are threatening my people. Now tell them to stand _down_ ," Clarke responds firmly. Lexa's eyes flick to Raven.   
  
  
"And if your people decide to attack and dishonour the peace treaty, I'll have a bullet inside their Commander before any of them can even blink," Raven warns, spitting out the word ' _Commander'_ with distaste.  
  
  
"Your bullets will not kill me," Lexa says.  
  
  
"These will," Raven assures her. Lexa stares at them for a moment before holding her fist in the air, arm bent at the elbow.   
  
  
"They're retreating," Miller's voice comes through the radio after a few seconds.  
  
  
Clarke lifts the radio to speak, "Miller, circle around the docks and make sure everyone is safe." She turns around to see that Monty and Jasper stand behind her with rifles and a few more wolves have joined them. "Monty, Jasper- check the market. Monroe and Mel," She addresses two dark wolves that she recognises from witnessing their training with Octavia early that morning, "Run the village perimeter. If any Trishanakru wolf remains, I want to know." Jasper and Monty nod and head off and the two wolves take off running. Clarke waits till all five of them report back before relaxing slightly, though not physically.  
  
  
"What do you want?" Clarke asks.   
  
  
"Where is Alpha Bellamy?" Lexa asks.  
  
  
"He and his sister have gone to the Trikru village," Clarke says. "They won't be back till late evening."  
  
  
"This cannot wait till then," Lexa says.  
  
  
"Then you can speak to us," Raven says, her arms tense as she holds the rifle steady still. "What deal are you here to propose?"  
  
  
Lexa stares at Raven, expressionless, before nodding curtly. "Azgeda has taken Costia and will not release her until I take action against Mount Weather. Last night, the Mountain captured a dozen Azgeda warriors, including Roan's sister Echo. I am here to propose an alliance with Skaikru. You help us take down the Mountain and we will repay you in any way you deem fit."  
  
  
"Like hell we will," Raven snaps, "The last time we formed an alliance, you betrayed us. You promised to help us reach the Mountain if one of our people paid for their crimes and when he did, you left us to fight the Reapers _alone._ You betrayed us, so why should we trust you now?"  
  
  
"I apologise for what you lost, Raven," Lexa says, remorse flashing across her features, "but I did what I had to to protect my people." Monroe, who had returned to Clarke's side after circling the village, steps forward and grows.   
  
  
"Why should we help you when you have brought nothing but grief to Skaikru? We would rather bring down Mount Weather with Trikru or Ouskejon-Boudalankru," Raven says.  
  
  
"But they don't have as many people _inside_ the Mountain as Trishanakru does," Lexa says. "I have a whole army inside there who would fight the Mountain Men once released. You may have guns, but we have the army and the manpower you _need_. If Trikru and Ouskejon-Boudalankru join us, the Mountain doesn't stand a chance. We can help each other."  
  
  
"Why can't you just take an army to Azgeda instead?" Clarke asks.  
  
  
"It's not like you've ever had a problem with violence before," Raven adds.  
  
  
"I can't risk Costia," Lexa says. "If I try _anything_ against Azgeda, Roan will send me Costia's head."  
  
  
"Maybe you deserve that," Raven spits.  
  
  
"Maybe," Lexa nods, "But Costia doesn't."   
  
  
Raven falls silent and Clarke stares at the woman in front of her. "We'll discuss it with Bellamy when he returns," She finally says.  
  
  
"I don't have the time for that," Lexa growls, stepping forward.  
  
  
"You can do nothing but wait," Clarke says.  
  
  
"I did _not_ come here to wait another day."  
  
  
"You don't have a choice," Clarke says firmly, leaving no room for discussion. Lexa realises this. She presses her lips together, frustration evident in her features, and nods tightly. Within seconds, she has transformed back into her wolf form. Within the following few seconds, not a single Trishanakru wolf remains in their village

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter this time, apologies! Next one has been written and is mid-editing and will be longer for sure and has lots of reveals! I know Lexa didn't come off as the nicest person in this one so I apologise to all Lexa-fans! I'm a massive fan of her character so I've got a lot more planned for her so please don't worry! Hope you liked this chapter! As usual, hit kudos/bookmark if you're liking this story so far and comment with any criticisms and enthusiasm if you have a moment! Lots of love! See you next chapter x


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of revelations in this one! I'm really enjoying writing this story (I'm currently on chapter 13) and all your comments and kudos and bookmarks and reads are 110% encouraging me every step of the way. Thank you all so so much! Enjoy this one and let me know what you think! :) xx

Bellamy and Octavia return only fifteen minutes after Lexa and her Trishanakru army leave. Raven and Clarke bring the siblings up to speed and Bellamy tells Octavia to gather the council. Raven returns to her workstation to work on more bullets and Clarke is about to go with her when Bellamy touches her arm lightly and asks if she can join them in the council room. Clarke's surprise is evident on her face when she agrees and follows him to the cabin.  
  
  
They walk through the room with the blueprints and then through the door by the desk. Clarke follows Bellamy into a larger room with a circular table at the centre, six chairs tucked in around it.   
  
  
"I'm not sure I understand what I'm doing here," Clarke says.  
  
  
"Raven's a bit… biased when it comes to Lexa. I think the council would appreciate an objective recount of the events," Bellamy responds as the door opens and four people walk in, Octavia following after. When everyone is seated except Octavia, Clarke realises she's probably taken the other girl's usual seat and is about to stand up. Octavia gestures for her to keep sitting and pulls up one of the four stacked chairs from the side of the room. She sits down between Clarke and her Aunt Celena.  
  
  
"Clarke, this is the council. You've met Aunty Celena," Octavia says. Clarke nods, smiling at the older lady, who smiles warmly in return. "This is Sinclair," She gestures to the man on Celena's left, someone Clarke has seen spending a lot of time with Raven in the workstation, "He was mom's second in command and the Village's chief mechanic."  
  
  
"Before Raven arrived and I handed over the reins," Sinclair says proudly.   
  
  
"This is Jason and Eleana, elders from the generation above mom's," Octavia says, gesturing to the man and woman on Sinclair's left. Clarke knows they have to be in their sixties or seventies but they seem to have a strength and grace in them that most their age would not possess.   
  
  
"You make us sound like we're sixty, Octavia," Eleana says and Clarke is thrown, wondering if she got the generations mixed up.  
  
  
"Don't kid, Aunty E," Octavia says, laughing, "You're confusing our visitor." They turn to Clarke, who now looks a bit embarrassed. "She's sixty-eight but likes to pretend she's still eighteen."  
  
  
Clarke smiles at this and feels a bit awkward, realising that the people in this room were basically a family.   
  
  
"Right, onto business," Bellamy says. He requests Clarke to recount Lexa's visit and she does, this time without Raven's angry tone and outright refusal to help her. "We need to decide what we want to tell Lexa."  
  
  
"I think Raven is correct in doubting her loyalty," Sinclair says. "She left us to die against the reapers the last time."  
  
  
Celena nods, "But now that Costia's life is on the line, I'm not sure she will make the same decisions."  
  
  
"Costia and Lexa are married," Octavia informs Clarke, who nods.  
  
  
"If the terms of Costia's return is bringing Mount Weather down, Lexa will _have_ to see the entire operation through," Eleana says. "There's no room for betrayal."  
  
  
"I'm not sure Skaikru will be willing to fight alongside Trishanakru, though," Jason says.  
  
  
"They won't have a choice if Bellamy gives the order," Celena argues.  
  
  
"And you know that I won't make my people fight a war they do not want to fight," Bellamy says.  
  
  
"It's not that they don't want to take down Mount Weather, though," Octavia says, "It's just that they won't fight alongside Trishanakru."  
  
  
"What if it's not just Trishanakru they're fighting with?" Clarke finds herself saying. Six pairs of eyes turn towards her. "Other clans have lost people to Mount Weather too, right? Won't Trikru be willing to join the fight? Or Azgeda, since they've lost so many people?"  
  
  
"Azgeda always has others do the dirty work for them," Octavia says, "That's why they took Costia instead of forming some sort of alliance. Roan knows he'll lose much less people to the fight against the Mountain if his clan isn't involved in the actual fight itself."  
  
  
Clarke nods. "Okay, but what about other clans?"  
  
  
"She has a point. Just because Trikru and Ouskejon-Boudalankru refused the alliance the last time, doesn't mean they will this time as well," Celena says. "How desperate did Lexa look?"  
  
  
"Very desperate. She was willing to be told what to do by _me_ ," Clarke said.   
  
  
"Even with Trikru and Ouskejon-Boudalankru, will our army agree to fight by Trishanakru?" Sinclair asks.  
  
  
"I think they will if it means that they can get our people back and with the assurance that it isn't _just_ Trishanakru we've got on our side. We lost a lot of people the last time we made a deal with Lexa because we were left alone so that will be the main thing people will be wary about," Bellamy says.  
  
  
"You said that the Mountain was guarded by different lines of defence? Like the reapers?" Clarke asks. Bellamy nods. "You could always assign a different clan's army for each line of defence so that Skaikru never has to interact with Trishanakru."  
  
  
"I was just about to suggest that," Celena nods. "The bottom line, then, is that we are agreeing to a deal with Lexa? Those in favour?" All their hands go up except Sinclair's, who looks wary.  
  
  
"Raven won't like it," He says. "She'll refuse to give their army any weapons."  
  
  
"Then the weapons stay in Skaikru hands," Bellamy says.   
  
  
"She still won't agree to an alliance with Lexa."  
  
  
"It's good that she isn't on the council then, isn't it?" Jason says and Clarke feels a bit of distaste for the man. He sighs. "Look, I know that Lexa betrayed us, most of all Raven. I get that. And I'm not a fan of her's either. But if we want to end Mount Weather once and for all, we need this alliance. We might have the guns she needs, but we need the army she has. Raven will need to understand that."  
  
  
"We can't do this without Lexa's army," Octavia agrees. "Especially the army she has _inside_ the mountain." Sinclair's shoulders slump and he nods.  
  
  
"I'm in favour too, in that case," He says.  
  
  
"We tell Lexa we accept then," Bellamy says.   
  
  
"Now on to the next matter. The main reason Clarke is here," Celena says. Clarke's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. She thought she was only here for an unbiased story recount? But then, she realises, why would they allow her inside a council meeting for simply saying the same words she said to Bellamy and Octavia?  
  
  
"Mount Weather has an agreement with Ark General," Bellamy says.  
  
  
"W-What?" Clarke stutters.  
  
  
Bellamy nods, as do others around the table. "Maya discovered that they sell AGH harvested human organs in return for medical and technological resources." Clarke feels her stomach lurch. "Do you think your mother has any connection to this?"  
  
  
"I- I don't know," Clarke says. "I don't think so. I would hope not. I don't think my mother would risk her career in such a way. If she was found out then she'd be dropped from her position as head surgeon before she would even have a chance to react."  
  
  
Bellamy nods. "Maya says that the research and technology department in AGH builds the tranquillisers, bullets and transplanting materials for Mount Weather as part of their deal. According to her calculations, the man who leads Mount Weather should be going to AGH next Wednesday, in eight day's time, to collect their latest shipments."  
  
  
"You want to make sure he never gets them," Clarke says.   
  
  
"We want to make sure he can never get them ever again," Bellamy says, "If we can shut down their research or lab somehow, we can cut off the supplies that Dante needs for Mount Weather." Clarke assumes Dante is the man who leads the Mountain. "Or better still, if we catch Dante with illegal supplies of weapons or misusing AGH funds, we can have him arrested long enough for us to take Mount Weather down on the island."  
  
  
"But since none of us except Raven know Ark, we could never really make plans for this. And the last time she was at Ark was four and a half years ago. A lot could have changed by then," Sinclair says. "And she never knew many people there either."  
  
  
Clarke nods. "I could set some feelers out in Ark but that's only if you are willing to let me make contact with the outside."  
  
  
Celena nods, "We can arrange something, I'm sure," She glances around the table and the others nod in confirmation. "Would you need to go home?"  
  
  
Clarke wants to tell them that _this_ feels like her home now. "Not yet. If I go home without Wells, Roma and Fox, then my mother will have a lot of questions. Ones that nobody wants to answer just yet."  
  
  
"All in favour of Clarke contacting people she trusts on the outside?" Bellamy asks. All hands go up.  
  
  
"So our immediate actions," Octavia says, "Inform Lexa that we accept her alliance in bringing down Mount Weather. However, we will probably have conditions that she will need to honour and accept." Everyone in the room nods. "Second, Clarke contacts a team in Ark to find out what she can so we will need Raven to connect the radio to the outside. Third, we should contact Maya and tell her about our plans. And finally, someone needs to tell Raven that we have agreed to an alliance with Lexa."  
  
  
"We'll tell her once we have discussed the details with Lexa," Bellamy says. "Let her focus on finishing the bullets for now. Sinclair, can you help her?" The man nods. "Celena, will you ask Lexa to join us for a meeting tomorrow morning at eight-thirty? If we're going to do this, it'll be on our terms and in our land." Celena nods. "I'll bring Miller and Monty up to speed and get them to contact Maya. Any other matters that need addressing?" Nobody responds. "Thank you for your time. Let's meet tomorrow at seven to discuss the details of our deal with Lexa prior to her arrival." Everybody says a thank-you to Bellamy and a goodbye or a well done to Clarke before leaving the room. Finally, it is just the Blakes and Clarke.  
  
  
"How does Dante leave and return to the island?" Clarke asks.  
  
  
"He has a speedboat."  
  
  
"No, I mean doesn't it look a bit strange to Ark residents when an old man in a hazmat suit walks in?"   
  
  
Bellamy's jaw tightens and Octavia's fists clench on top of the table as she spits out, "He was the first to receive the wolf bone marrow, followed by his son."  
  
  
Clarke feels a wave of anger. "How many wolves does he have in the Mountain?"  
  
  
"Probably thirty or forty. They started taking wolves from clans that live closer to them just before I was born," Bellamy says. "But Skaikru wolves are the ones he needs to permanently cure his people. Since our people are the newest to the island, we have different blood to the rest of the clans. Our blood is the strongest. So they capture other clans' wolves to test them and to take their blood for temporary cures, or for their human organs. But they need us for the permanent cure."  
  
  
"How many of our people have been taken so far?" Clarke asks softly. His eyes flick to her when she says _our_.  
  
  
Bellamy says, "When I was around ten, they took the first wolf from Skaikru. I think that's when they realised our blood was different. Right now I would estimate around twelve wolves in the Mountain."  
  
  
"So the boys that went missing from Sterling's hunting group…"  
  
  
Bellamy nods, "The Mountain Men have them. Same with Harper."  
  
  
"Which clan lives closest to the mountain?" Clarke asks.  
  
  
"Ouskejon-Boudalankru on one side," Octavia says, "Which is why the number of Reaper sightings have been more frequent. Azgeda is closest on the other side which is why so many of their people get taken. Trishanakru territory is quite nearby Ouskejon's so like Lexa said, over the past few years they've taken enough of their wolves to form an army inside Mount Weather. Floukru lives very far away on the coast and Trikru and Skaikru territories are furthest away on this side."  
  
  
"Do Reapers work for Mount Weather?"  
  
  
"We don't know. They just seem like wolves who have lost their minds and are bloodthirsty. They might not work for the Mountain but they're enough to keep people away on one side," Bellamy explains.  
  
  
"What other lines of defence do they have?"   
  
  
Bellamy answers. "Well, if a small group of us get too close, they might come out in Hazmat suits and capture us, which we can't and don't want to risk. Their strongest defence, though, is the acid fog." Clarke raises her eyebrows in question. "We don't know where it comes from but the Mountain deploys a cloud of acid around the remaining three sides of the Mountain which the reapers don't protect. It's acidic enough to burn through skin and fur and kills you almost instantly and very painfully."  
  
  
"And it's triggered if you step into their territory?"  
  
  
"That or there's always people in the mountain watching and waiting to deploy it."   
  
  
"Fuck," Clarke whispers. Bellamy nods, his expression grave. "When I first came to the island, I wasn't allowed to leave in fear of being seen by certain people, was it the Mountain Men?"  
  
  
"Partly. If they intercepted you and took you, there's no way you would have made it home. But it was less to do with that and more to do with our peace treaties with the other clans. People aren't really allowed to leave this island without permission from Trikru, Trishanakru and Ouskejon-Boudalankru. It's the fear that those leaving might expose the island to the outside world. So if you were seen leaving by any of the other clans, our treaty would be at risk of falling through. And the last thing we want on our hands is war against an army five times our size."  
  
  
"You said that the island protects itself from outsiders," Clarke says, looking between Octavia and Bellamy, "What did you mean?"  
  
  
"We aren't… entirely sure how it works to be honest," Octavia says, "It's just that whenever anybody who is not a wolf or isn't aiding or accompanying a wolf tries to head towards this island, they can only go so far before the forces of nature knock them off course."  
  
  
"Do you get a lot of _visitors_ like that?"  
  
  
"Not really, no," Bellamy shakes his head. "It's rare that wolves from outside hear about the island and come seeking us at all. If the Alpha of a clan here realises that they can hear somebody who isn't on the island, they usually make sure that the wolf they have connected to is not a threat before inviting them to the island. Not a lot of people have that sort of connection, though."  
  
  
"We get maybe one or two wolves like that in a year," Octavia adds.  
  
  
"Is that how Raven found this place?"  
  
  
Octavia nods. "Her boyfriend Finn found out he was a wolf and connected to Bellamy from Ark. So after clearing it with Trikru, we invited them over. He and Raven weren't threats to the island so they were allowed safe passage."  
  
  
" _We_ weren't a threat to the island either," Clarke says softly.  
  
  
"That's why you survived," Bellamy says.  
  
  
"Not all of us," Clarke says, feeling the weight on her chest grow heavy. "Not Wells or Roma or Fox."   
  
  
"Were any of you wolves, do you think?" Octavia asks. Clarke shakes her head. "Maybe that's why. Since you were't accompanying a wolf, the island wouldn't accept you. Why _were_ you travelling in this direction, Clarke?"  
  
  
Clarke hesitates. "My father was travelling with four of my neighbours on a trip he barely told us anything about. They took his boat and left on a Friday evening. They never came back." Clarke can feel the tears stinging her eyes. "When mom and Thelionius, Ark's Mayor, sent out a search party- they found remains of the boat and three of my neighbours' bodies in the sea. One month ago, Wells was looking through his father's office for something and came across a map of the seas near this island. The map traced my father's route and there was a circle marked on where the end of the route was. He wouldn't have thought much about it but then he found a few printed emails that my dad had sent Thelonius a few days before the trip. The email said that he had 'found something and was taking the kids to check it out'. The map was sent to Thelonius with the email. And that was weird because when he spoke to my mom and me, he said that he didn't know where my dad had gone and that he would send the search party to search through the entire seas until he was found. If he already had my dad's route marked out on a map, why would he need to search the whole sea?"  
  
  
"So you followed his route to see where he might have been going and possibly why Thelonius lied?" Octavia asks.  
  
  
"Yeah. We got to a little distance past the marked spot and then the storm hit," Clarke says, tears welling up in her eyes as she recalled both her father and her friends' deaths.  
  
  
"Clarke, when was your father's boat hit?" Octavia asks, an urgency in her voice as her eyes meet with her brother's.   
  
  
Clarke glances between them, wiping at her eyes, before answering, "Ten months ago."  
  
  
"Do you have a picture of your father?" Bellamy asks. "Or your neighbours?"  
  
  
"No, but I have a sketch of him in my room," Clarke says. "What's going on?"  
  
  
"Do you have your neighbours names?" Octavia asks, standing up. Clarke nods and repeats her earlier question. "Come with us," Octavia says, ignoring the question and striding towards the door behind Bellamy that lead further into the cabin. Clarke and Bellamy follow her into a small room with several shelves upon which hundreds of files and books sit. Octavia scans the shelf on their right before withdrawing a file marked 'Index'.   
  
  
"You're a Griffin, right?" She asks and Clarke nods. Octavia flips to the section marked 'G' and Clarke sees the lists of surnames and follows Octavia's index finger as she runs through them. No _Griffin._ "One of your neighbours names?"  
  
  
"Matthews."   
  
  
Octavia searches for the surname under _'_ M' but finds nothing. Her shoulders slump.  
  
  
"Wait! Jasmine was double-barrelled. Claybourne-Matthews." Octavia flips to 'C' and comes across a Claybourne. She turns to Clarke and Bellamy excitedly.   
  
  
"Another of their names."  
  
  
"Shaw." Again, Octavia finds the surname. Clarke names the last two- Garlow and McKenzie. Octavia finds one but not the other.  
  
  
"Three out of four. That's not a coincidence," Octavia shakes her head.  
  
  
"What's this index?" Clarke asks.  
  
  
"It's the surnames of every wolf in Skaikru across all generations, including names of people who the first generation of werewolves knew from Ark who were just like them but didn't want to come to the island. The people whose ancestors are in this index- they're the ones who are able to connect with the current Alpha from the outside world."  
  
  
"Like Finn."  
  
  
Bellamy nods, "Collins was on there. Eleven months ago, I managed to connect to a girl from the outside but only once before she never made contact again. We assumed she was related to a first gen werewolf and hoped that her ancestor had left behind some kind of clue for his or her family."  
  
  
"Are all the first gen werewolves from Ark?" Clarke asks and Octavia nods.  
  
  
"Did you ever hear strange stories about the Claybournes or Shaws or Garlows' ancestors?" Octavia asks.  
  
  
Clarke is about to say no when she suddenly remembers. "The Garlows. Emma's great-grandfather was on a small plane that went missing and was never found again."  
  
  
Octavia's eyes light up when she asks, "Do you know why we're called the Children of the Sky? The Sky clan?"   
  
  
And it dawns on Clarke. "The first generation… they were all on the plane. They literally came from the sky." Octavia nods. "How did you know to look them up in the index?  
  
  
Bellamy answers. "Ten months ago, after the girl made her connection with me, we discovered two bodies that washed up on our shore. One man and one teenage girl. We tested both for wolf blood and the girl tested positive. They didn't have any ID or indication as to where they came from but we assumed that they were looking for the island when something bad must have happened."  
  
  
Clarke's heart skips a beat. They found her father and her friend?   
  
  
Octavia nods. "If what we're seeing is true and your sketch matches the face of the man we found… Clarke, your father was bringing four werewolves to this island."   
  
  
"I don't understand, though," Clarke says, "If he was aiding and accompanying four werewolves, why would the island reject them?"  
  
  
"Do you think any of them would have wanted to hurt us?" Bellamy asks. Octavia shakes her head firmly before Clarke can reply.  
  
  
"If her father was anything like her, I refuse to believe he wanted to hurt us."   
  
  
"He was the best man I ever knew," Clarke says.   
  
  
"Do you think you could mark out the part of his route that Thelonius had circled on his map?" Bellamy asks. Clarke hesitates before nodding. He bends down to sift through the lowest shelf in front of him before bringing up a map. He opens it out. Clarke stares at it, trying to recall what she had seen on the other map, before drawing a circle with her index finger around a part of the sea between Ark and the island.   
  
  
"Somewhere around there," She says.  
  
  
Bellamy and Octavia look at each other. "Are you sure?" Bellamy asks. Clarke nods. "That's not the island border. The island's protective forces come into action at least a kilometre from that point. Taking that into consideration and the nature of the people on that boat… Clarke, I think your father's boat was sabotaged." 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Sorry I haven't updated for 2 weeks! I've been in a no wi-fi zone which was annoying because no updates but on the bright side, I'm currently writing chapter 19! So quicker updates over the next week once I've powered through proof-reading and editing :D Enjoy this one- lots of Bellarke coming up! I'm super happy with how the story is shaping up and I'm estimating 21 chapters! Let me know what you think if you have a moment to spare with kudos/bookmarks and comments! Love to you all x

  
Clarke knocks on Monty's half-open door and waits for his "Yeah? Come in" before pushing the door open. He's sitting up on his bed writing in a notebook and looks up to smile at her.  
  
  
"Hi, Clarke."  
  
  
"Hey, I haven't seen you today so I thought I'd come see how you were," She sits on the edge of his bed by his legs. "I also kind of need your calm and quiet presence after the day I've had." He frowns questioningly. "I learnt about what Mount Weather do to the people they capture. I also learnt that the hospital my mom works for in Ark has an awful deal going with the Mountain. And then…," she swallows hard, "I found out that my dad didn't die in an accident and that it's possible Wells' father had sabotaged his boat. Turns out his body might be buried on this island."  
  
  
Monty's eyebrows rise. "Wow… that's _is_ a lot to take in. How are you holding up?"  
  
  
"I don't really know. I decided to sleep on it and discuss it all with Jasper tomorrow morning. Octavia said she'd take me to where they buried my dad. I just- I don't know if I'm ready, you know?" Monty nods quietly. "I had given up all hope of ever finding my father and now he's just- he's here and I don't- I don't know if I'm ready."  
  
  
"You'll figure it out," Monty says finally, reaching out to squeeze her hand, "and you're not alone."   
  
  
She smiles at him gratefully before asking him if Bellamy has told him and Miller what to say to Maya tomorrow. He casts his eyes downwards and she's surprised to find that he looks sad.   
  
  
"Hey, what's wrong?"  
  
  
He glances at her and hesitates a moment before answering, "Ever since we got attacked in the forest… Nate's been avoiding me. Like straight-up walking out of any room I walk into since I got discharged this morning or not meeting my eyes or walking away if he sees me walking towards him."   
  
  
Clarke frowns. "You should talk to him, Monty. That doesn't sound like Miller at all. He- he cares about you." She notices his cheeks are slightly flushed. "And Bellamy told me about how you've only ever transformed for him before this week. That has to mean something, right?"   
  
  
"I hope so," Monty says. "I'll talk to him tomorrow after we talk to Maya." He sighs heavily. "I'm worried about Harper too. She's a fighter but… Raven's told me what it's like in there. How it can break people."  
  
  
This time it's Clarke reaching out to squeeze Monty's hand. "I know. I'm worried too but if everything goes to plan in the next few days, we should be able to get our people back quickly."   
  
  
Monty glances up at her with furrowed eyebrows. "Have you noticed that you've started doing that? Calling Skaikru _your_ people?" Clarke swallows, wondering if she's offended him. "It's not a bad thing," He amends quickly at her expression, "It's just- it's nice. But I was just curious about it."  
  
  
She shrugs one shoulder lightly. "I've noticed I'm doing it. But- it feels right. I know I've only been here for three weeks but it feels like longer, you know?" Monty bobs his head. "I feel like I know you guys better than I know the people in Ark. And all the people I see in the village and the market and in the dining hall… you aren't just a clan of _people_ anymore. You feel more like neighbours and family. I don't- I don't miss home. This feels like it for me."  
  
  
She looks up to see Monty smiling warmly at her. "Good. Because I know people have begun considering you part of our clan too. It's only fair that you feel the same."  
  
  
+++   
  
  
Clarke is up at sixty-thirty the next morning and is at breakfast with Octavia, Bellamy and Lincoln even though she isn't attending the council meeting. The Blakes look surprised at her presence while Lincoln just smiles at her with a knowing expression that _she_ isn't sure she knows what it's about. When the Blakes head off to the council room, Lincoln asks Clarke if she would like to train in hand-to-hand combat with him and though she is surprised at the offer, she agrees readily. They spend the next hour on a patch of green by the docks. She's nervous at first, partly because she isn't exactly the most agile or strong person and mostly because Lincoln is almost twice her size and ten times her athletic ability. But he's kind and patient and starts off easily with postures and stances and by the end of the hour, he's taught her how to grab a person with a gun and flip them over.   
  
  
He waves goodbye to her and tells her he'd be happy to train with her the next morning again and she accepts, promising to be up at six. He smiles at her and transforms to return to his village and she settles on the front porch of her and Octavia's cabin to start writing down what she's going to ask Wick to do once Raven can get her in touch with him through the radios. The only time she tears her concentration away from her work is when Lexa and another young girl arrive at eight thirty. Twenty five minutes have passed when Clarke stands up to cross over to Raven's work station. She's passing the medical cabin when Miller and Monty leave, having just spoken to Maya. She bites back a smile when she sees that the boys are smiling at each other. Monty catches her eye and she winks at him.   
  
  
Clarke sees that Raven is stepping out of her workstation with a wide smile on her face but the she spots something across the square and her smile slides off her face immediately. As soon as Clarke hears their voices, she doesn't need to turn around to see that Lexa and the council have finished their meeting. Raven's entire body tenses with anger, her teeth grit together and her fists clenched. Miller and Monty are looking between Lexa and Raven with concern and Clarke sees that Octavia and Sinclair are looking at Raven nervously. Bellamy stoically nods at Lexa before the Trishanakru commander and her companion leave the village. Sinclair exchanges a few words with Octavia and the council return to their cabin while the Blakes cross the square towards Raven. Clarke, Monty and Miller meet them in front of the workstation.   
  
  
"Lexa didn't look that pissed considering her deal just got turned down," Raven says carefully, looking at Bellamy with arms crossed over her chest. Nobody speaks and Octavia looks down at the ground. Raven raises an eyebrow. "Why is no one saying anything?"   
  
  
"Raven…" Octavia starts, her voice soft.  
  
  
"We accepted the alliance," Bellamy says. Clarke sucks in a breath as Raven moves quickly, drawing a pen-knife from her back pocket and holding it against the base of Bellamy's throat. Miller moves immediately, arm snaking around Raven's waist and pulling her away from Bellamy, who hadn't even flinched. Raven pushes Miller off her and he lets her go easily when Bellamy shakes his head firmly at his friend.   
  
  
She comes to stand right in front of him, half a head shorter than him but glaring so viciously that she almost seems to tower over him. "You did _what_?" She spits.  
  
  
"We accepted her alliance in bringing down the Mountain Men," Bellamy says calmly. Raven's fingers tighten around the pen-knife at her side and Clarke wonders if she'd actually hurt him.  
  
  
"Do you remember what she did to us?" Raven says.  
  
  
"Yes. But we need this alliance. We need her army."  
  
  
"I am not working by her side," Raven says through gritted teeth.  
  
  
"You won't have to," Octavia says. Clarke can see that she's bouncing very slightly on her feet, ready to fly into action if Raven does.  
  
  
"Like hell I won't have to," Raven says, turning her glare to the younger girl. "I know what bringing down the mountain in an alliance looks like. We've been there before, remember? Swapping combat training, weapons, strategies. Their people in our village, ours in there's. How could you not ask me about this?"  
  
  
"We had to make this choice," Bellamy says softly. _Without you_ goes unspoken but not unheard. "We couldn't let emotions come in the way of doing what we need to for our people."  
  
  
Raven releases a short, disbelieving laugh and Clarke feels like somebody has gutted her when her eyes fill up with tears. "You mean like when I sunk a knife through Finn's heart for an alliance with Lexa? I pushed away _my_ emotions for the sake of people that weren't even _mine_ and _killed Finn._ I did it for you, Bellamy, and you, Octavia," She looks at Octavia, who has her lips pursed in an attempt to remain composed, "And you, Monty and you, Miller. And for what?I killed the boy I loved, my _only family_ , for someone who turned their backs on us and left us all to _die._  I lost him for  _nothing_. You have no idea how that feels."   
  
  
"You're right," Bellamy says, "We don't know how that feels. And we're sorry. But we have no choice. The one thing that every clan on this island wants to do is bring the Mountain down and the only way we can do that is together. And this time it won't just be Trishanakru, it's going to be Trikru and Ouskejon-Boudalankru as well."  
  
  
Raven swallows hard and swipes angrily at her eyes. "Why don't we just strike a deal with Mount Weather? The way Lexa did. They offered to let her people go if she betrayed us. Why don't we just do the same? Tell the Mountain Men that we'll give them the blood of our dead if they release our people? I don't know- just- just something else."  
  
  
"They won't stop at anything, Raven," Octavia says quietly.   
  
  
"Have you _tried_ talking to Dante?" Raven asks.  
  
  
"He would never listen to me," Bellamy says.   
  
  
"Why the hell not? He listened to Lexa."  
  
  
"Because I killed Dante's son," Bellamy says.  
  
  
Raven stares at him. And then, "Wait. There aren't a lot of powerful Dantes that I know with sons. Are we talking about Dante _Wallace_? The man who has a wing in Ark General named after him?" Bellamy nods and she laughs incredulously. "The man that killed your mother and the man that you killed was _Cage Wallace_?" Clarke's eyebrows shoot up at this. Raven glances at her. "Clarke?" Clarke nods, knowing what Raven is referring to.  
  
  
"Why are you looking at each other like that?" Monty asks.  
  
  
"Because you're a lousy shot, Blake," Raven says to Bellamy. "Cage is still alive and kicking up in Ark. Maybe if you trusted me when I came to this island the way you trusted Lexa, you would have known that four and a half years ago." She shoves past him and makes her way to her cabin, which she shares with Monty and Jasper, leaving the Blakes, Miller and Monty to stare between each other with shocked expressions.   
  
  
+++  
  
  
  
An hour later, Raven returns to her workstation while avoiding anyone in her path. She passes Clarke on her way there and Clarke is relieved to see that the mechanic isn't angry with her too. She says that with the information Clarke gave her, she was able to reach her friend at Ark. Clarke sits down by the many wires and boxes connected together on one of Raven's work counters and she turns a few dials before speaking into the radio mic in her hand.  
  
  
"Raven Reyes here again, do you copy?"  
  
  
  
The radio buzzes with static for a few seconds and then, "Heya, Reyes. It's barely been an hour since you last called. Need a more superior engineer slash mechanic's opinion on something?"  
  
  
"Actually, I have something better," Raven says, passing the mic over to Clarke, who can't really believe that she's actually hearing Wick's voice.  
  
  
"Kyle?" She says.  
  
  
There's a beat of silence before, "Clarke? Is that you?"  
  
  
Clarke isn't surprised to find a lump in her throat. "Yeah… yeah, it's me."  
  
  
"Fuck! Clarke… It's so fucking good to hear your voice," He says and she can tell that he's feeling as choked up as she is. "How are you? No, _where_ are you? Abby said that you called her two weeks ago but haven't been in touch and she's kind of losing her mind here. What is going on?"  
  
  
"Kyle, it's… it's really complicated," Clarke says. "But before anything else, can I just tell you how glad I am that you stole those Ark Police Department radios?" She breathes out a laugh and hears him laugh loudly too.  
  
  
"Me too, Clarke. Reyes said she got hold of me because she used the Ark PD frequency but tweaked it a bit to reach the untraceable line I'm on, which is what she had done while in Ark too."  
  
  
Clarke glances at Raven to find her smiling slightly while fiddling with the rifle in her hand. "You don't know each other, do you?" Raven looks up and shakes her head.  
  
  
"Nah, I'd have remembered if I met her," Kyle says breezily and Raven's eyes widen just a bit before she turns back to her work. Clarke bites back a smile.  
  
  
"I'll admit I didn't contact you without reason," She says.  
  
  
"No? What do you need?"   
  
  
"Do you have some time to talk?" His familiar, kind and determined response is so quintessentially Kyle Wick that she almost starts crying.  
  
  
"For you, I got all the time in the world."   
  
  
+++  
  
  
Clarke pulls the warm grey cardigan closer to her as the chilly air blowing from the ocean hits her. She can see Bellamy's silhouette at the end of the wooden pier sitting with his back to her. It's a full moon tonight and Clarke wonders whether that actually matters to non-fictitious werewolves. Almost on cue, she hears a wolf howling in the far distance behind her. She hesitates for a second before stepping onto the pier and when she's halfway across, Bellamy turns his head an inch to the side and she assumes he knows somebody's about to join him. He doesn't look particularly bothered by it so she keeps walking till she reaches his side. He glances up and smiles close-mouthedly before turning back to look out at the ocean. The pier is enough feet above the surface of the ocean that she can sit with her legs hanging off but not touching the freezing water.   
  
  
"You okay?" She asks softly.  
  
  
"I don't know," He says and she nods slightly. He's silent for a few long moments before he says, "Mom used to bring O and me here when we were little, tell us stories about the island and about her encounters with the other clans. My dad died when I was really young so I don't remember him. We don't even know who O's dad is- if he's Skaikru or if he's alive. So it was just the three of us. She told us that one of us would become Alpha and that our people would come before everything else. But she told us that no matter how cruel the world became, no matter what we were faced with, that we should be strong and above all else, we should be kind and forgiving. We should lead our people with honesty, trust and love."  
  
  
She finds herself staring at him as he speaks even though he doesn't look at her.   
  
  
"When Cage stabbed my mother through the heart, didn't even give her a chance to say goodbye or to know that she was taking her final breath… it was like I forgot everything she taught me. I didn't kill Cage in the fear that he would become the next Skaikru Alpha, I killed him because I had just watched him kill my mother. He killed her here," Bellamy looks down at the wood underneath his palms, "on this pier. He was going to kill her and throw her into the ocean from the very place she brought Octavia and me when we were kids. So when I saw him with her body in his bloody arms about to throw her over, I shot him. And then I ran towards him, grabbed my mother out of his arms and I pushed him into the ocean." He swallows hard and Clarke has an inexplicable urge to reach out and grab his hand. "I never wanted to be Alpha," He admits softly, turning to finally look at her for a moment before turning back to the ocean. "Growing up, a selfish part of me hoped that Octavia would take over from my mother when the time came. But then once things had settled down after Cage was gone and my mother had been buried, the council was sweeping me into their meetings and people were asking me what to do and when we were wolves, people _expected_ me to lead. So I did. But I never wanted to."  
  
  
He sucks in a ragged breath. "These people think that I'm this honourable, honest and _good_ person. But they don't know that I killed Cage because of revenge, not necessity. They don't know that I have _no idea_ how to trust people like my mother did. They don't know that I never even wanted to be Alpha. They don't know that for everything I do, I am selfish and put my sister before everybody else."  
  
  
"Putting your sister before everybody else isn't selfish, Bellamy, it's being a brother," Clarke says. "And what happened with Cage- what he did to your mother and your people was unforgivable and people can try to pretend to understand what it felt like and to think that it would've been easy to make the decision _not_ to kill him but in reality, it isn't that easy. It isn't so black and white and you were just nineteen. You saw what he did and what he was going to do and you acted. What you did was only human. And of course you trust people. You trust Miller and Monty and Lincoln and Raven-"  
  
  
"I didn't trust Raven, though," Bellamy argues, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "She was right. When she was taken by the Mountain Men, Finn lost his mind. He didn't really know much about the Mountain since he had just arrived at the island and I had given the order to the council and the guards that nobody else should know about the Mountain Men. I didn't want people to be scared for their lives. So we kept it quiet. But because of that, Finn thought that Trishanakru had taken Raven because Lexa had asked us for an alliance the week before and we had declined so he thought she wanted revenge. So he took a rifle and walked into the Trishanakru village and shot fourteen people in cold blood." Clarke's hand flies to her mouth in shock.  
  
  
"We stopped him before he did more damage and brought him back here and told him about the Mountain. And then Luna walked into our village the next day with Raven. That's when the council decided that we needed to go up against Mount Weather before the situation got worse. So we went back to Lexa and asked her for the alliance to bring down Mount Weather. She said that the only way she would agree to it would be if the dead got their justice and they were given Finn. They would stab him fourteen times, once for each victim. Raven said no and warned me that Lexa might betray us after Finn was dead. But then Finn turned himself in. They took him and strung him up in their village against a wooden pole. The few of us went to their village to ask them for any other way but Lexa said no. So Raven asked if she could say goodbye. I saw that she was carrying a knife and pleaded with her not to make an attempt at hurting Lexa because we needed this alliance and when I told her this I could tell that that's exactly what she had planned. But then she went straight to Finn and she was hugging him and when she pulled away, he was dead. She had put the knife through his heart and saved him from the Trishanakru punishment for his crimes. Lexa still agreed to the alliance and then… you know the rest."  
  
  
Clarke takes a deep breath, unable to comprehend or imagine what Raven must have gone through.   
  
  
"I should have listened to her," Bellamy says.   
  
  
"You had no way of knowing that Lexa would betray you," Clarke says.  
  
  
"Finn was only the first person to die after that. Because of the alliance that _I_ agreed to, eight people died at the hands of the Reapers that day. And then since then we've lost fifteen people to the Mountain. That's twenty-three dead. My mother would be ashamed."  
  
  
"And a hundred and forty-eight alive," Clarke reminds him softly.   
  
  
"I got twenty-three people killed, Clarke. _That's_ the type of leader I am. And now I've agreed to an alliance with the same person that betrayed us four and a half years ago and I'm ignoring what Raven's telling me again."  
  
  
"The decisions made for this village aren't entirely on you, Bellamy," Clarke says firmly. "The whole council is in charge of decisions made."  
  
  
"But I have the right to veto any of them."  
  
  
"But you don't," Clarke says. "You don't veto any decision because you value what others have to say. You value what your people have to say. Do you remember what you said to Celena when she said that Skaikru would have to go to war if you gave the command? You said that you won't ask your people to do something they don't want to do. _That's_ the type of leader you are. And if Cage didn't die, do you know what that means? It means that technically the power of Alpha _didn't_ pass on to you when you thought you killed Cage. You aren't Alpha because you were born into leadership or because of a killshot, Bellamy, you became Alpha because you were _meant_ to. You said you could never match Indra or Lexa in ruthlessness and that's because you don't lead your people with your head, you lead them with your heart. And you have such a _big heart_ , Bellamy." He's looking at her now and she sees that his eyes are filled with tears. She can't imagine how crushing the pressure of leading an entire village must be, and how desperately he wants to meet the legacy of his predecessors. But he's so concentrated on everything he must be doing wrong that he can't see everything he's doing right. So she keeps talking despite knowing it may not even be her place to do so.   
  
  
"You might not have wanted to be Alpha at nineteen, but who would have? Octavia told me what your mother used to say to you- _your sister, your responsibility._ How could you not put her before everybody else? And it isn't a surprise to me, or anybody else I've met here, that you do because everybody around you knows how much you love her and they understand it. Give your people a little bit of credit because they know you better than you think they do. You might have made mistakes before, Bellamy, but you've learnt from them. When I first came here, I didn't understand why they looked at you with so much respect and admiration. But now I do. It's because you don't just lead your people, you love them. You say that you don't know how to trust people yet you're sitting here with me, an outsider, telling me everything there is to know about your clan. Of course you trust people, but only those you think deserve it. And that's the right decision. You _know_ that. The world is the cruel place your mother warned you about but you remain kind and you forgive those who have wronged you, like Lexa. And you may not do it for them, but you do it for your people and that is a distinction you need to remember. You do it for your sister and you do it for your people. People think you're an honourable, honest and good person because you  _are._ When I look at Skaikru, I don't see a clan or a leader and his people- I see a family. A family that I want to be a part of.  _That's_ the kind of leader you are. And that's a man that your mother would be so proud of."  
  
  
She sees a tear slip down his cheek and he reaches up to wipe it with the back of his fingers. Then, he turns to her.  
  
  
"I don't know how we're going to pull this off," He says.  
  
  
"I don't know either," Clarke says softly. "But I do know one thing," he turns to look at her, "You're not alone in this. We'll figure something out. Together." Their hands are resting a few inches apart against the wood of the pier between them and this time, she reaches out and curls her fingers over his.  
  
  
He glances down at their hands and she holds her breath and waits for him to pull his tense hand away but he doesn't. Then he looks at her and nods slightly. He sighs and she feels his fingers relaxing under hers. He looks up at the dark night sky. "Can we figure it out later?"  
  
  
She lifts one leg up to cross her ankle under her thigh, getting comfortable. She allows herself a moment to trace the contour of his profile, the top edge of his nose and his freckles illuminated by the bright full moon's light. She thinks that he must know she's staring but he doesn't say or do anything so she gives herself the moment before turning to look out at the vast oceans in front of them. "Whenever you're ready."


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Massive thank you to everyone who has been reading, bookmarking, hitting kudos and taking the extra time out to comment! It honestly means everything to me and encourages me to keep writing :D I hope you enjoy this one, things are beginning to tie together! As usual, hit one of the aforementioned features of ao3 if you think the story's worth it ;D Much love xx
> 
> EDIT: After some thought, I've changed the end of the chapter just a bit to take out one particular detail- I'll tell you about it at the beginning of next chapter! x

Clarke is up at six the next morning to train with Lincoln after which he heads off with Octavia to discuss the alliance with Indra in the Trikru village. Celena and Sinclair have gone to speak to Illian with the same purpose. Bellamy and Monroe are training in the square with seven others in hand-to-hand combat and Miller is near the docks rifle training with a couple of people including Jasper. Raven and Clarke are sitting together on the porch of Raven's cabin. Raven is quietly writing furiously in a notebook while Clarke is watching the group in the square train.  
  
  
"You okay?" Raven asks Clarke, who has been quiet for the past half-hour. Clarke looks at her friend.  
  
  
"Yeah, didn't want to disturb you," She smiles. "How are you holding up?"   
  
  
Raven opens her mouth to answer, then closes it, hesitates, and opens it again. "I don't really know. I don't know what to say to Bellamy or Octavia or the council. I know they had to vote on the alliance and they did it for their people but- it just feels like a betrayal, you know?"  
  
  
Clarke thinks that it's a testament to how far their friendship has come that Raven is opening up about her feelings to her. "That's fair enough, Raven, you're allowed to feel betrayed. I can see why you would. Bellamy and Octavia do too. But if it's any consolation, the council weren't jumping for joy at the thought of joining forces with Lexa. Especially not Sinclair," She adds warmly. It has the desired effect and Raven smiles softly.  
  
  
"Of course not, he loves me. I'm the daughter the poor guy never had," She says proudly before adding more quietly, "And he's the father I never had."   
  
  
Clarke smiles at her and leans over to bump her shoulder with Raven's. "We'll get through this." Raven nods, before turning back to her work. Clarke is about to go read the last few Mount Weather blueprints that she hasn't yet read in the council cabin when a shadow falls over her. She looks up to see a boy around Bellamy's age with brown hair falling into his dark piercing eyes standing above her. He's dressed in cargo pants and a beige round-necked t-shirt with a dark grey hoodie thrown over and halfway zipped up.   
  
  
"The legendary Clarke Griffin, is it?" He drawls. Raven looks up and Clarke would've scowled at the arrogant tone in the boy's voice if Raven wasn't grinning widely at him.   
  
  
"Jesus, Murphy, it's been 3 weeks. I was beginning to think you weren't going to come back this time. I was so close to throwing a party," She says and kicks his shin lightly with her braced leg.   
  
  
He pushes her foot away with his own and Clarke sees that his eyes latch on to her brace and worry flashes across his face for a moment before it's replaced with the cool and laid-back look from before. "I almost didn't come back this time, Reyes. The clan's actually warming up to me."   
  
  
Raven rolls her eyes and looks at Clarke, "His girlfriend is from Ouskejon-Boudalankru. She's fucking amazing and he definitely does not deserve her."   
  
  
"Oh, fuck off, Reyes," Murphy says. "Just because you want a piece of this," He gestures to himself.  
  
  
"I guarantee you that I really don't," Raven says. "How's Emori?"  
  
  
"Great and smitten with me as always."  
  
  
"She tolerates you," Raven says smartly. He barks out a laugh before pushing his hair off his face. "Anyway, I gotta go finish up some wireless radios that will be useful in the march against the mountain, so I'll see you, Clarke, when Wick radios in with updates. And Murphy, I'll see _you_ hopefully never." Murphy takes a few steps back to make space for Clarke, who stands up. She puts one foot on the porch by Raven's side and holds her hand out. Raven grabs it and with practiced ease, Clarke pulls Raven to her feet, one hand in her's and the other around her back. Raven takes a deep breath once Clarke releases her and Clarke meets Murphy's eyes, which are hooded with concern.   
  
  
As Raven brushes past Murphy, he catches her elbow lightly with a soft "hey". She turns around with eyebrows raised questioningly, challengingly.   
  
  
"I'm sorry I didn't come back earlier," He says.   
  
  
"I'd rather you have not seen me in my weak and vulnerable state, Murphy," She says, snorting inelegantly. He nods his head and her face shifts into something softer. "But thanks." He squeezes her arm lightly before letting go and she shoots a final smile at Clarke before heading back to her workstation. Murphy turns to Clarke.  
  
  
"How's her recovery?" He asks.  
  
  
"Slow but good," Clarke nods. "She's one heck of a fighter."  
  
  
"Probably the strongest there is in the village," Murphy says and Clarke knows by now that this _Murphy_ , whoever he was, comes off as the most arrogant person she's ever met but clearly cares deeply underneath all that.   
  
  
"How did you know who I am?" She asks.  
  
  
"One thing common between the outside world and this island is that people fucking love gossip," He smirks. "The stories of you saving Lincoln and Raven's lives despite being an outsider reached Ouskejon as well." His smirk drops and he looks more serious, "Thank you, by the way, for Raven. She's been through a lot."  
  
  
Clarke nods, "I know. She's told me."   
  
  
He raises his eyebrows skeptically. "She's told you? You must be really something, Clarke Griffin, if _Raven Reyes_ opened up to you."   
  
  
Clarke shrugs and he bids her goodbye with another smirk and a mock-salute. She sees that he goes into the cabin Bellamy shares with Miller. She spends the next hour in the medbay, cleaning and organising the equipment. She's stepping out of the doorway at the end of the hour and she walks straight into a broad shirtless chest.   
  
  
Bellamy's arm shoots out and wraps around her waist to steady her and Clarke finds herself holding her breath, acutely aware of their proximity. So is he, it seems, when he lets go of her quickly and steps back. Once she can breathe again, she notices the wooden diamond-shaped pendant on the string around Bellamy's neck.   
  
  
"It's the Skaikru symbol," He says, following her gaze.   
  
  
"I saw one around Lexa's neck as well. It had three symbols, though," Clarke says, tracing the symbol with her eyes. It's three overlapping narrow semi-circles surrounded by stars.   
  
  
"They're the three symbols of the clans that joined together to form what Trishanakru is now," Bellamy explains.   
  
  
Clarke looks up at Bellamy to see that he looks a little bit nervous. She notes that he never goes to the medbay unless somebody is injured or he needs something from Lincoln or Indra. Nobody was injured and Indra and Lincoln are both in the Trikru village.   
  
  
"Did you need something?" She asks, glancing over her shoulder to gesture to the medbay.   
  
  
"Uh- yeah, I'm actually here for you," He says. She raises her eyebrows slightly in question. "Now that we confirmed that it _was_ your father who we found ten months ago, I went to retrieve some things from the council cabin's store room." He reaches into both pockets of his khaki shorts. "Your father was wearing them when we found him. We buried him in his clothes but- we kept these just in case we ever found his family." He takes his hands out of his pockets and opens both palms. On one palm lies a silver ring and in the other a silver watch.  
  
  
Clarke feels her heart skip a beat and she wipes her palms down against her trousers before reaching out to take the ring first. She runs her fingers over the inscription on the inside of the ring, _J + A._ It was his wedding ring. She feels a lump in her throat as she pockets the ring and reaches out with trembling fingers towards the watch that Bellamy was still holding out patiently. Her fingers close around the familiar object, one that Jake had promised to pass onto her someday.  
  
  
She fights tears as she slips on the watch and secures it.  
  
  
"The battery's out but I'm sure Raven can fix it or you can get it fixed back in Ark," Bellamy says softly. She looks up at him and not for the first time since being on the island, she feels completely overwhelmed.   
  
  
"Bellamy, thank you," She chokes out. "I never- I never thought I'd ever- I just- I don't know how to thank you." He nods at her, offering her a small smile.   
  
  
"Oh, fuck off! She's even got _Bellamy Blake_ wrapped around her finger?" Their heads whip to the side to see Murphy heading over to them from his cabin. "It took him like twenty years for him to trust me and I was _born_ into Skaikru."  
  
  
"Yeah, and you were the village's biggest asshole, Murphy," Bellamy says. "Some would argue you still are."  
  
  
"Aren't you the one who always tells people to leave the past in the past?" Murphy scoffs. His eyes then settle on the watch on Clarke's wrist. "Speaking of the past- why have you given that to her?" Clarke is surprised to find that his tone is defensive and a little bit angry.  
  
  
Bellamy is quiet for a second, observing his friend, before saying, "Murphy, the man you found was Clarke's father." Murphy's eyes snap up to meet Clarke's.  
  
  
"Are we sure?" Murphy asks.   
  
  
Bellamy nods.   
  
  
"Fuck," Murphy says, running a hand through his hair. "I didn't think we'd ever find their family. Must be some kind of fate."  
  
  
When Monty takes Clarke and Jasper to Jake Griffin and Emma Garlow's graves later that afternoon, Clarke stares at the soil under which her father has been buried and can't help but think that John Murphy was right. It had to be some kind of fate.  
  
  
+++  
  
  
"We've called this meeting because Clarke's friend in Ark has just come back with developments about what's been happening in AGH," Bellamy says as the seven of them settle into their seats around the council table. "But before that, can we have updates on our actions from last meeting? Sinclair, tech?"  
  
  
"Raven and I think that the bullets to take down the Reapers are ready. It would need testing, though, so we would need to take a team out for that," Sinclair says.  
  
  
"Okay, Miller and I will assemble a team to go out tomorrow. Miller and Monty spoke to Maya and she says that she will let us know if she learns of any plans from the Mount Weather side and to let her know if there's anything she can do. Celena?"  
  
  
"We spoke to Illian about the alliance and he said that Ouskejon-Boudalankru agree to it and to keep him updated with our plans and meetings," Celena says. "I think Trikru agreed as well?" She asks Octavia.  
  
  
"Yes, Indra said they agree. She went to speak to Lexa an hour ago about Trikru and Trishanakru's alliance within this and Lincoln has gone to speak to Illian to do the same. They should be returning soon," Octavia says. "As we know, Raven is aware of the alliance and though she doesn't like it, she's still going to help Skaikru get our people back."  
  
  
"Right, anyone else?" Bellamy asks and receives silence in response. "Good. Clarke?"  
  
  
Clarke nods and looks down at the piece of paper on the table in front of her upon which she had scratched down everything Wick had told her an hour ago.   
  
  
"I'm sure Bellamy told you all- Cage Wallace is alive," Clarke says. "My friend, Kyle Wick, said that Cage runs the Ark General Technological Research and Developments facility. It was founded and funded by Thelonius Jaha, Ark's Mayor, fifteen years ago. Apparently Jaha handed the facility over to Dante ten years ago after he contributed a significant amount of money and resources. Wick and I both find that strange because Thelonius has enough money to fund five such facilities, so we don't believe that he handed it to Dante just because of money. But that was reason enough for the general Ark public and the AGH board. I suppose no one really is allowed to question the mayor. Around four years ago, Cage Wallace took over from his father.  
  
  
"Wick dug around a little more and his best friend, Eric Jackson, who works at AGH said that things have been weird in the administration lately. Secretive, especially with Jaha and the woman who runs the Tech facility, Nygel. According to Jackson, a few of his colleagues have been complaining that the facility has been blocking out entire floors for the development of a project most of them aren't being told about. That the monthly reports that Nygel has to submit to AGH's public records that are accessible to the employees have been either incomplete or blacked out and they aren't being given a reason why. Every time somebody files a complaint, the mayor's office replies with a different excuse that they can't really question but none of it feels right. Wick said that my mom, who works closely with Jackson, has been trying to enquire into these as well but nobody's telling her anything.  
  
  
"Wick and Jackson met with a friend of theirs, Gina Martin, who works in the tech facility. She confirmed that there were some kind of unofficial projects running in the facility that they weren't being briefed about. But what I found more important was about Gina's best friend Niylah. She told Wick that Niylah had been feeling strange since two months ago. That she was feeling ill and would black out at odd hours of the night or go to sleep and then wake up miles away from home with no memory of how she got there and with her clothes in pieces. She used to call Gina, who would have to go and pick her up."  
  
  
"Niylah started turning," Octavia says, her eyes wide. "She was a werewolf."  
  
  
Clarke nods, "That's what Wick and I both thought. But Gina and Niylah obviously had no idea back then. Gina convinced Niylah to go to AGH to see what was wrong but when she was referred to a senior doctor, Dr.Tsing, the doctor wasn't able to diagnose her and basically turned her away. Niylah went missing a week after that. Wick contacted his friend, Bryan, who works in the Ark Police Department and Bryan said there had been an increasing number of missing persons reports over the past year. Wick and I think that more and more people are beginning to turn into werewolves in Ark and if they report it to the hospital, their symptoms are all listed under being referred to Dr.Tsing, who probably works for Cage and they capture these people."  
  
  
"Mount Weather isn't just getting their bone marrow from the Skaikru wolves captured in the Mountain," Bellamy says, "They're getting it from the wolves turning in Ark as well."  
  
  
"That's what Wick and I think too," Clarke nods, feeling her stomach turn. "And since it would be easier for Cage to capture wolves in Ark since nobody really knows about what's going on and the wolves don't know how to fight back yet because they're only just discovering what they are, they're much easier targets than Skaikru wolves. Wick thinks that judging from Jaha's policies of making Ark the idyllic town for his people, he doesn't want wolves to be a common knowledge. Which is why he's agreed to help the Wallaces erase werewolves from Ark existence without anybody knowing better. And that's why I think Thelonius sabotaged my father's boat ten months ago. Because knowing my father, he would have returned to Ark and spread the word about werewolves so that those turning could learn about it and lead better lives for it. And if they chose to, they could join Skaikru on the island." Bellamy opens his mouth to protest but she shakes her head, "I know, I know. That's not how the island works because it can't be exposed to the outside world. But you have to understand that my father and the four he was with didn't know that. Neither did Jaha. So he sabotaged the boat so that the people of Ark never found out about the existence of wolves, nor the island. Cage therefore gets to keep harvesting bone marrow in Ark and Jaha gets to keep his town following the narrative he wants them to follow."  
  
  
The council is quiet and most of them look shaken and distressed. Clarke can understand why and her own stomach is in knots.   
  
  
"How did Cage survive the oceans?" Celena asks.   
  
  
"I'm not really sure about the how but close to five years ago it was all over the news that Dante Wallace's son, Cage Wallace, had washed up on the shores of Ark severely injured but alive."  
  
  
  
"Werewolves are extremely strong and would've been able to survive the bullet I hit Cage with. He's definitely not a werewolf himself but since he had wolf blood flowing through him, because of the marrow, maybe he has characteristics of wolves which helped him survive," Bellamy proposes.   
  
  
"I can't think of any other way he survived," Octavia says. "Bottom line is that he's alive and heading his own Mount Weather in Ark."  
  
  
"So we don't just have to bring down one but two Mountains," Bellamy says.  
  
  
"Why?" Jason says. They all turn to look at him. "Why do we have to take down the one in Ark? Our problem is that the Mount Weather on this island is taking our people and killing them for their own benefit. Our priorities lie with our people. Skaikru people. Not the ones in Ark."  
  
  
"Jason, they're just children," Celena says vehemently.  
  
  
"But they're not our children," Jason says.  
  
  
"Are you forgetting where we came from?" Eleana says. "We aren't just children of the sky, Jason, we are children of Ark. Your parents were both from Ark."  
  
  
"I know that," Jason says. "But we need to put all our energies and resources into fighting the Mount Weather that our people are being affected by. Not a Mount Weather that isn't hurting us."  
  
  
"But they are," Octavia says. "Cage's operations in Ark are providing Dante's operations with weapons and tech that are bringing _our_ people down. Both facilities are interconnected."  
  
  
"Surely if we bring one down the other will fall too," Sinclair says.   
  
  
"Please tell me you're not agreeing with Jason," Octavia says.  
  
  
"I'm not," Sinclair shakes his head, "I'm just asking if bringing one down will bring the other."  
  
  
"We'll have to know more about the Ark facilities before we can decide that," Bellamy says.   
  
  
"If we can save the wolves in Ark, we should be doing that," Octavia says. "That's what Mom would have done." Celena nods firmly.  
  
  
"If we _can_ save the wolves in Ark, make no mistake that we will," Bellamy says decisively. "But Jason is right in saying that Skaikru is our priority. Mom said that we always put our people first and that's what I'm going to do." He looks at Clarke, who both looks and feels a bit betrayed, "But that doesn't mean we're giving up on the wolves in Ark. We find out as much as we can and take it from there. Do you think your friends in Ark can find out more?"  
  
  
Clarke nods, "I'll contact him after the meeting."   
  
  
"Thank you," Bellamy says before turning to the council. "There aren't any immediate actions right now. We should meet tomorrow evening to discuss preliminary plans for the attack on Mount Weather. I will be meeting Indra, Ilian and Lexa this weekend when all four of us will discuss each of our clans' preliminary ideas. If Clarke has any more information from Ark, though, we might call an earlier meeting."  
  
  
The council all nod and the elders leave while once again, the Blakes and Clarke remain.  
  
  
"Clarke, we want you to know that we aren't giving up on the wolves in Ark," Octavia says, covering Clarke's hand with her own. "That's not who we are."  
  
  
"And I think Sinclair was right," Bellamy adds. "Bringing one down might well bring the other down with it. We just have to plan the attacks perfectly."  
  
  
"But your people will come first," Clarke says.   
  
  
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Bellamy says firmly. And Clarke wants to be angry. She wants to argue that the wolves in Ark deserve saving too. But she knows better. She knows how much pressure Bellamy and even Octavia are under. She knows that their people _have_ to come before everything else. So she agrees with Bellamy, hopes that it doesn't come to a situation where they have to choose, and lets it go.  
  
  
"I think Wells was rejected by the island because of Thelonius," Clarke says, voicing thoughts she had been pondering over. Bellamy and Octavia share a look. "But you both already considered that."  
  
  
"We can't imagine why else your boat would've been hit," Octavia says softly. "Unless Thelonius sabotaged your boat as well but I don't think he'd go that far. Also, you said a storm hit the boat _and_ we found Jasper and Wells in the island perimeter."  
  
  
"How did you know Thelonius?" Clarke asks Bellamy. "From before- the day I saved Raven. You reacted badly when you heard his name and said he was friends with a person you didn't like. Was that Cage?"  
  
  
"Yeah," Bellamy nods. "When Cage was in our village, he said he was from Ark and he spoke about Thelonius in high regard, said that they were close friends. After Raven escaped from Mount Weather and we contacted Maya for the first time, she had told us that she heard the guards talking about how Skaikru killed Dante's son, Cage Wallace. That's how we found out who was running Mount Weather and that Cage was sent to our village from there. It all kind of began tying together. We think that Cage probably tried to become Skaikru Alpha so that it would be easier for his people in the Mountain to get obtain our blood and marrow."  
  
  
Clarke is putting all the information together in her head when Indra walks into the council room.  
  
  
"Lincoln is about to return to the village. He said he had news about the Reapers, a theory that Illian had. He's on his way here now."  
  
  
"Did he say what it was?" Octavia asks, standing up.  
  
  
"No, he said he would tell us when he arrived," Indra said. "Have you learnt anything new from Clarke's friends?"  
  
  
Octavia excuses herself to go receive Lincoln and Bellamy briefly explains to Indra about the wolves in Ark and Cage's operations in the AGH facilities. They move to the blueprint room to update Cage Wallace's profile and are revising the timeline they have stretching across the Mount Weather wall when a scream cuts through the air. Indra and Bellamy's eyes lock and together the say-  
  
  
"Octavia."


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends! So in case you missed the edit last chapter, I've changed the end of chapter 13 slightly. Initially, Octavia's scream goes through all the Trikru and Skaikru heads (like in the way they can communicate when they're wolves- so her scream echoed through their heads internally) and I put it in there because it goes through Clarke's head as well and I wanted that to show progress in Clarke being part of them, you know? Like she was beginning to get in on their werewolf non-verbal communication thing. Aahh sorry I'm not being able to explain things D: Anyway, I took that out because I didn't think I did it well enough and didn't give it enough space in the following chapters! It should at some point come back near the end in another way. ANYWAY- enjoy the latest instalment. Thank you all SOOO much for your lovely comments and for bookmarking/hitting kudos so far- means the world. Please do so again if you have a moment xx

* * *

  
  
Octavia excuses herself to go receive Lincoln and Bellamy briefly explains to Indra about the wolves in Ark and Cage's operations in the AGH facilities. They move to the blueprint room to update Cage Wallace's profile and are revising the timeline they have stretching across the Mount Weather wall when a scream cuts through the air. Indra and Bellamy's eyes lock and together the say-  
  
  
"Octavia."  
  
  
Bellamy is the first one out the door, followed by Indra and then closely by Clarke. When she steps into the square, she sees Octavia collapsed on her knees in tears. Raven is beside her in seconds and then she's lowering herself to the ground, with considerable difficulty, and pulling Octavia into her arms.  
  
  
Bellamy rushes to his sister's side and she presses her face into his shoulder, her body cradled between Raven and Bellamy.  
  
  
"What happened?" He asks Nyko, who is standing near them with a concerned expression on his face.  
  
  
"They took him, Bell, they took Lincoln," Octavia sobs.  
  
  
"Nyko?" Indra asks sharply.   
  
  
"The Mountain Men intercepted Lincoln on his way back from the Ouskejon village," Nyko says. "He was in wolf form and he managed to get in my head while he was fighting them off. But- they took him."  
  
  
Bellamy's grip around Octavia tightens and Raven's eyes squeeze shut. She opens them before saying firmly, "We'll get him back, Octavia."  
  
  
Clarke's heart breaks at the expression on Octavia's face. And then suddenly the younger girl is moving. She's scrambling out of Bellamy and Raven's arms like a scared animal and he's holding on to her, hushing her and trying to calm her down.  
  
  
"I have to go after him, maybe I can get to him," She says.  
  
  
"You will do no such thing," Indra says. "Lincoln would not want you to risk your life without a plan."   
  
  
"But-"  
  
  
"I said no, Octavia. And I'm sure your brother agrees. You know we are right." Bellamy nods and Octavia slumps back into him, her head on his shoulder.   
  
  
"They'll kill him," She chokes out. Indra kneels down and places her hand on Octavia's heart.  
  
  
"As long as you can hear him in here and as long as you _feel_ that he's alive, he will be. Trust that Lincoln is strong enough to survive," She says. "Get some sleep and tomorrow we will plan to take down the Mountain and get all our people back."   
  
  
She stands up to leave but Raven stops her with a ' _wait'._ She struggles to stand up from her place on the floor and Indra reaches out to aid her. Nodding her thanks, Raven goes to her workstation and returns with a wireless radio. She passes it to Indra.  
  
  
"You know how to use one?" Indra hesitates and Raven quickly shows her. "We'll contact you if anything is urgent and you do the same." Indra nods before clipping it to an elastic around her waist.   
  
  
"Be safe," She says to Bellamy and Octavia before glancing at Clarke and Raven. They nod at her and she leaves with Nyko.  
  
  
"The silver bullets are ready for testing. We can go out tomorrow and test it against the Reapers. If it works, we're one step closer to taking down the Mountain," Raven says. Bellamy nods before standing up, heaving Octavia into his arms.   
  
  
"We'll do that then," He says. "Let's everyone get some sleep." Everyone retreats into their respective cabins and Clarke follows Bellamy into her and Octavia's. The silence is deafening and from the way Raven leans into Monty and Jasper as they walk to their cabin, and from the way Miller's shoulders are slumped as he enters his own, Clarke can see how much Octavia's sadness crushes them all. She can see how much Lincoln means to them, despite him being from Trikru. And she can see the repercussions of the Mountain Men taking one of their people. She wasn't completely conscious when the village found out about Harper's disappearance but she imagines this was what it felt like. Octavia and Clarke share a cabin with Monroe and Harper and ever since that day in the forest, the cabin just seems frighteningly quiet without Harper.   
  
  
Clarke follows Bellamy as he walks up the stairs and into Octavia's room, placing her down gently on the bed. "Do you want to get changed?" She doesn't respond and begins to shrug out of her trousers and top. Bellamy averts his eyes until she's tucked under her blanket. He presses a kiss into her hair and says, "We'll get him back, O." She nods mutely and he tucks her hair behind her ear before heading towards the doorway, where Clarke is standing.  
  
  
"Will you stay with her?" He asks softly and she can see how much Lincoln's absence and Octavia's pain is weighing on him. _Your sister, your responsibility._  
  
  
"Of course," Clarke says. He rubs his face tiredly and on instinct, she reaches out to squeeze his arm. "We'll get him back." He nods. "Get some sleep."  
  
  
"You too," He says. Once he's out of the room, Clarke sits on the edge of the bed by Octavia, who is staring up at the ceiling.  
  
  
"Will you stay with me tonight?" Octavia croaks out softly.   
  
  
"Yeah, of course," Clarke replies. She pulls off her shoes, socks and jacket before crawling under the covers beside Octavia. They lie in silence, Clarke's arm wrapped around Octavia's stomach and her head resting against her shoulder. Finally, Octavia speaks.  
  
  
"When mom died four years ago, everything suddenly just felt- different. Like your life feels like its been thrown upside down. Like when your dad died. But then everyone in the village was looking at Bellamy and me, waiting for one of us to take charge. But I was only fifteen so Bell didn't really have any choice. Even if I had been the one to kill Cage, it would've been down to him to lead our people. His and my voices are the strongest in the clan so it's less about who the Alpha gene passed on to and more about who was in the right position to do it. Not like Bell was in the right mindset either. He was only nineteen, we were just kids.   
  
  
"I know that everything he does, he does it for me. His sister, his responsibility. And I appreciate that and I love him for it but sometimes it can be stifling. I feel like a responsibility… like something he needed to constantly be aware of and take care of. After mom died, I fell into a pit of depression. I- I was a mess really. Couldn't function much. And every time Bell had to ask Aunt Celena to take over while he took care of me, I felt myself slip further. Because he shouldn't have had to dedicate his entire life to me. But when I met Lincoln… everything started changing. I was eighteen, only two years ago, and Lincoln was twenty-one. After we met and started spending time together, he was the first person I opened up to. And when I did, for the first time in my life, I didn't feel like a responsibility. I didn't feel like he was taking care of me because he had to, but rather because he wanted to.   
  
  
"Everything began to change after that. And once we formed an alliance with Indra, it got better. He would take me to the Trikru village and I got to know all these different people and he'd teach me how to fight, how to heal and just- he taught me to live again. I know that sounds silly and dramatic but- it's true. The dark cloud over my head  _finally_ lifted and I could breathe again. I don't know how to breathe without him." Tears well up in her eyes and slip down the sides of her faces and hit her pillow.   
  
  
Clarke tightens her grip around Octavia. "I know a fair share of depression and anxiety," She says softly, "And I know what it can do to people. So it's not silly or dramatic that he helped you breathe again. I know how much value that holds when you're at your worst. I'm sorry they took him, Octavia. But we're going to get him back."  
  
  
"What if we don't?" She whispers.   
  
  
"We deal with that if it happens. For now," Clarke places her hand on Octavia's heart, "feel that he is alive, like Indra said. Trust that he's strong enough to survive. And draw strength from that and from within yourself and push through this. He would want you to be strong. You _are_ strong."  
  
  
"Ge smak daun, gyon op nodotaim," Octavia says. Clarke knows that the clans have their own tongue- Trigedasleng, Lincoln had told her. "Get knocked down, get up again."  
  
  
Clarke nods. "And if you can't do it alone, then let us help you."  
  
  
"I'll just feel like a responsibility," She says, laughing weakly.  
  
  
"You don't have to feel like a responsibility anymore, Octavia," Clarke says firmly, softly. "Release yourself from that. You're not a responsibility. You're my friend. Okay?"   
  
  
Tears slip down Octavia's cheeks and she nods, taking a deep breath. She reaches towards Clarke's hand and holds it tightly.   
  
  
"Thank you, Clarke. I'm really glad you're here."   
  
  
Clarke whispers honestly, "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."  
  
  
+++  
  
  
As soon as it begins to get dark outside the next day, a team assembles outside the workstation. Bellamy, Octavia, Sinclair, David, Murphy and Monroe are strapping up with rifles and guns loaded with silver bullets and tranquillisers. Octavia also has her sword strapped to her back and knives in in her waist belt.   
  
  
"Remember, we have a limited supply of silver bullets and we just want to test how effective they are," Raven says. "Shoot to test, not to kill. Not unless it's necessary."  
  
  
"If things go south, report what you're seeing to Raven immediately," Bellamy instructs. "And if Raven learns that things have gone horribly wrong on this side," He turns to Miller, "Do _not_ send in a team if the risk is too high and the bullets aren't ready. If things have gone wrong, take that as a sign that the silver bullets weren't strong enough. Not as a sign to send more people in after us." Miller nods tightly. "I know you don't like this, Miller-"  
  
  
"I should be going with you," Miller says, jaw set.  
  
  
"I need you on this side. If something happens to the few of us, only you know our army well enough to train and assemble new teams. And similarly if something happens to Sinclair, Raven and Monty are here," Bellamy says. Miller nods. "Celena knows who to place on the council if something were to happen to Octavia or me."  
  
  
"Can we not talk worst-case scenarios like this?" Jasper asks and a few of them smile.  
  
  
"Protocol, Jasper," Bellamy says. "Unfortunately, worst-case scenarios are very likely scenarios on this island." Jasper nods, frowning. "Right. Everyone, good to go?" The team heading out double-check their equipment before nodding.   
  
  
"Good luck," Raven says, hugging Sinclair. "Come back to us." And then the team is hugging their friends and family. Clarke isn't able to stomach the fact that this could be the last time she's seeing them. Because like Bellamy said, the likelihood of worst case scenarios on this island are very high. She doesn't want to believe that anything can happen to them but she knows that it might. She hugs Octavia and Monroe tightly, nods at Murphy, Sinclair and David and says a 'be safe' to Bellamy. Just before the team is about to step out of the square, Raven catches Bellamy's arm.  
  
  
"If one bullet doesn't cut it, keep shooting till the reaper is down. Don't risk anything for the sake of a test. My bullets might not work and if they don't-"  
  
  
"They will," Bellamy says firmly. "And if they don't, we'll shoot like hell, come back and work on some more."  
  
  
Raven nods. "Be careful, okay?" Her fingers tighten around his arm. "I can't lose the rest of my family too." Bellamy stares at her before pulling his arm free of her fingers and then wrapping both arms around her shoulders. She hugs him tightly and he presses a kiss into her hair.   
  
  
"We'll see you soon," He mumbles before pulling away. She takes a deep breath and they watch the team disappear into the forest.   
  
  
+++  
  
  
"Eyes sharp," Bellamy warns. "We know what they're capable of. They can smell wolves better than they can smell humans so unless absolutely required, don't transform. And we're here to test the silver, not get through to the mountain so find a lone reaper and attack them. Avoid groups, avoid straying too far from this point. Sinclair, David and Monroe- you're together. Murphy, you're with Octavia and me. Don't radio the other team unless necessary because the radios are loud and will attract the reapers. If it's urgent and you think the other team can help combat a problem, radio over and we'll come to you and hope for the best. If you manage to isolate a reaper and test the bullets, wait to see the effects. Test one at a time. The bullets have been designed to cripple a reaper immediately so if that doesn't happen, wait a few seconds before firing again. Whether the result is that nothing works or   it does, radio the other team and we take it from there. Any questions?" Everyone shakes their heads. "Okay, let's go."   
  
  
Bellamy, Octavia and Murphy head east while David, Monroe and Sinclair head west into the forest. They're quiet as they move between the trees with practiced stealth. As they get further into the forest, away from their village and closer to reaper territory, their grips on their rifles tighten.   
  
  
Bellamy signals for them to stop moving when they hear heavy footfalls on branches and dried leaves. They crouch behind a bush as the reaper appears a few meters away from them. It's a grey wolf with bloodshot eyes and fur coated with blood and mud. Bellamy looks over his shoulder at Octavia and Murphy and nods his head slowly. They rise cautiously, rifles over their shoulders and pointed at the wolf. And then a wind blows from behind them and towards the reaper, carrying their scents straight to it.  
  
  
+++  
  
  
Clarke finds Miller in the workstation counting and sorting bullets. She asks him if  he needs any help and he shrugs before telling her what to do. They work in silence for a few minutes before she speaks.   
  
  
"Why didn't Indra send any of her army with the team? Surely beating the Reapers is in her interest too," Clarke asks.   
  
  
"Indra said she couldn't send her army because she wouldn't risk her people on a _test._ That's what this mission was for- testing the silver bullets. It could go well or it could not. Indra can't risk the latter. We could only send six people because Skaikru doesn't have a big army at all so if we sent more people with the team and they didn't make it back, it would be down to a handful to fight Mount Weather when the time came," Miller answers.  
  
  
"They'll come back though, right?" Clarke asks softly.  
  
  
Miller swallows. "I hope so. We can't lose any more people to the Mountain. We almost lost you and Monty as well."  
  
  
"Speaking of which…," She says, her tone lighter, "are you done avoiding Monty and are you planning on doing it again?"  
  
  
Miller looks surprised that she's bringing the topic up with him and she wonders if she has crossed a line. "I didn't mean to overstep." He releases a soft, awkward laugh and shrugs a shoulder.  
  
  
"It's fine, you're just looking out for him. I don't plan on doing it again, no," He says. "I- I shouldn't have in the first place." Hesitation. "When Lincoln and Bellamy brought his body into the medbay... I just- I couldn't really believe it was happening. Monty has always been so _good_ to people, to the world- I couldn't picture him being hurt. Which is ridiculous, I know, considering the world we live in. But I just saw him bleeding out and Octavia running to Trikru to get Indra and Nyko and I know Bellamy was asking me to do things but I couldn't move? Because every time I looked at him, I started imagining a world without him and- I didn't want to. I didn't want to imagine a world without him. And… feeling like that… I didn't really know how to deal with it so I did the next best thing- I didn't. I just avoided it and him. When he got discharged, I guess I couldn't really look at him the same way because of how I realised I-" He cuts off abruptly.  
  
  
"Felt?" She asks softly. "You don't _have_ to look at him the same way, Nate." Miller looks thoughtful before nodding.   
  
  
"Ark to Sky people? Reyes, you there?" Their heads snap towards the radios wired up to connect to Ark on the other side of the workstation. Clarke jumps up and hurries to answer.  
  
  
"Wick? It's Clarke."   
  
  
"Clarke, hey! It's good to hear your voice- I don't think I'll ever get used to it," Wick replies.  
  
  
"You'll get bored soon," Clarke smiles. "Have you got something for us?" She notices Raven walking into the workstation.  
  
  
"Remember I told you that Gina said there was a wing in the tech facility that had been closed off?" Clarke nods before realising he can't see her but he's continuing anyway, "So she and I went to check it out half an hour ago. The wing is under seriously high security. Layers of access codes and IDs required, retina scans and finger-prints. That sort of thing. Gina said she has no idea what's going on in there and most of the employees have no idea either but if they want to keep their jobs, they don't ask questions. We heard noises from downstairs though and when we looked out the window from the second floor, we saw that two vans had pulled up outside. They were transferring something between them. It looked like a a cage and it was big enough to fit a person. My bet is that it was a werewolf, Clarke."  
  
  
"Did you manage to get a licence number or ID of any of the people doing the transfer?"  
  
  
"Unfortunately not. We didn't want to give ourselves away either because it would be more useful for us to not get caught. We then had a bit of a look around the labs belonging to higher level personnel because Gina had stolen a keycard off security that allowed us in. This is the weird bit- they're producing dozens of vials containing ingredients that really shouldn't be going together."  
  
  
"What are the ingredients? Do you know what they're trying to make?" Raven asks.  
  
  
"We have a list of elements going into the vial and I couldn't figure out what the end product was meant to be but the fridge the vials were in had a label. I'm not sure if this means much to you, but it was marked 'Reaper Serum'."  
  
  
+++  
  
  
The reaper in front of them emits a howl and Bellamy signals for them to duck lower behind the bushes. The reaper turns its head left and right before turning and sprinting away.  
  
  
The three carefully straighten before moving further into the forest once again. It's another ten minutes before they hear footfalls again. This time there are two reapers who appear in the clearing in front of them. They duck behind a tree but it's too late and they can hear the reapers growling and running towards them.  
  
  
"Run!" Murphy shouts and they're sprinting as fast as their legs can carry them. The reapers are luckily not as fast as normal wolves are and their vision seems heavily impaired but they're slowly catching up to the three.  
  
  
"We're running too close to Ouskejon territory!" Octavia yells. "We need to divert them from the village!"  
  
  
"Split up the two!" Bellamy calls out and instinctively, Octavia turns left and Bellamy and Murphy turn right. One of the reapers follow the boys and one follows Octavia. She can feel the reaper gaining on her and she pushes herself to run faster, but growing painfully aware that the further she runs from Ouskejon territory, the closer she's moving towards the mountain. She suddenly hears a muffled gunshot and hopes that Bellamy and Murphy got the reaper. A few paces more and she realises she needs to turn and shoot as well.   
  
  
She pushes herself a few feet further while pulling her rifle over her shoulder. She then skids to a stop and spins around. The reaper is impossibly close and she shoots but the reaper darts to the side and the bullet only grazes its shoulder. She scrambles to pull the trigger again but it's too late and the reaper is pouncing at her, knocking the rifle out of her hands. She's pushed onto her back and the reaper is on top of her, paws against her shoulders and its snarling, salivating mouth near her face. She grits her teeth and draws a knife from her waist and swings it underneath the reaper, catching the rogue wolf's stomach. It emits a loud growl but the distraction is enough for Octavia to push the reaper off with sheer strength. It recovers quickly though and leaps at her again and she scrambles backwards quickly towards a tree, her hand drawing her sword from the sheath strapped to her back.   
  
  
She notices that Bellamy and Murphy have skid to a stop just behind the wolf. As the wolf prowls closer to her, the boys aim their rifles and she holds her sword ready to attack, but she suddenly notices something else. A wooden triangle pendant hanging from a string around the reaper's neck. For a second she wonders where the reaper could possibly have gotten it from as only the Alphas and their seconds wear their clan's symbol around their necks. But then she raises her eyes to the reaper's and sucks in a breath. Her weapon begins to lower as she takes in its eyes… its familiar eyes… and its dark brown coat of fur, marred with mud…  
  
  
And suddenly she remembers the rifles loaded with silver pointing at the rogue wolf in front of her. She cries out to Bellamy and Murphy, "Don't shoot him! Tranq!" Murphy isn't as quick to register her words but Bellamy's throwing his rifle down and shooting his tranquilliser gun within the next split-second. Octavia throws her arms out in front of her to shield herself as the reaper pounces but Bellamy's tranquillisers are hitting him, four in a row, and it collapses at her feet.  
  
  
"What the hell, O?" Bellamy asks running towards her.   
  
  
She's breathing heavily as she pushes the reaper onto its back and holds the pendant up for the boys to see.   
  
  
"What the fuck?" Murphy splutters, leaning closer. "Isn't that the Trikru symbol?"  
  
  
Octavia's eyes meet Bellamy, who has realised it too. She breathes out, "It's Lincoln."  
  
  
+++


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! Sorry for the late update but this one's a really long chapter with lots going on so I hope it makes up for the delay. I've edited it over a few times but there might still be a few typos (hopefully not!) Please please do hit kudos/bookmark if you liked it and if you have a moment, comment with a few words! I've been working super hard because of all your amazing comments and they mean so so much to me. Lots of love and hope you enjoy x

"Bellamy, come in," Clarke says into the radio, hoping it isn't too late.   
  
  
"Clarke, what's wrong?" Bellamy's voice comes through the speaker and there's an urgency in his voice that leaves her hoping that they're all in one piece.  
  
  
"AGH has been creating a serum for Mount Weather that we think turns normal werewolves into reapers," She says.   
  
  
"We know," Bellamy replies. They _what?_ "We found Lincoln in reaper form. We're bringing him home."  
  
  
Clarke's heart is beating wildly and one look at Raven and Miller and she sees that they're the same. "Okay, we'll prep the medbay." She puts the radio down and turns to the others. "Raven, stay with the radio in case they need something. Miller, get Monty and Jasper and come to the Medbay." Miller nods and runs off. She turns to Raven, "You okay staying here?"  
  
  
"Yes, boss," She mock salutes with a wink. "You'd make one heck of an Alpha, Griffin." Clarke smiles and tells her to call her if anything changes before heading to the medbay. Miller, Monty and Jasper enter shortly after she does.   
  
  
"Monty, is there anyway we can bind Lincoln in reaper form here?"   
  
  
Monty nods and goes to a cabinet further inside the cabin and returns with a tangle of ropes and what look like seat belts. "Will this do?"  
  
  
"It'll have to," Clarke nods. "Miller, help me ties these to the bed in a way we can bind Lincoln the second he's here. Jasper, Monty- take the biggest syringes you can find and load them up with the strongest tranquillisers." The four fly into action and once the medbay is ready, they wait in the square for the team to arrive. They return in the next twenty minutes. Sinclair, David and Bellamy are carrying a wolf between them. Octavia is leading the group with her machete at hand in case of any danger while Monroe and Murphy are taking up their rear.  
  
  
"Take him to the medbay," Clarke says as soon as they're in hearing range. They do as she says and drop him onto the bed on his stomach. Miller, Monty, Jasper and she are ready and they quickly bind each of his limbs to the bed. Monty then straps two of the seat belts around his body and secures it tightly. "That should hold him if he wakes up and we've got tranqs ready."  
  
  
Bellamy nods. "So the reapers do protect the Mountain for the Mountain Men."  
  
  
"Gina studied a sample of the serum and she says its got drug-induced properties. We think that Mount Weather probably injects the serum into some of their captured wolves, probably the strongest ones, and releases them into the reaper territory. They keep going back to the mountain for more shots and in return, they protect the Mountain."  
  
  
"Lincoln would _never_ work for the Mountain Men," Octavia says vehemently.  
  
  
"Not unless his mind was being completely altered by the serum," Clarke says. "You said that reapers seem like rogue wolves? Bloodthirsty and murderous?" The others nod. "The serum probably acts like a really strong drug and clouds their minds and judgements completely. They become violent and… murderous. And they keep going back for more."  
  
  
"How do we cure him?" Octavia asks.  
  
  
"The good part of it being like a drug is that if we cut off the supply, the effects should eventually wear off."  
  
  
"Won't there be side-effects?" Bellamy asks.  
  
  
"That's the bad part. We have no way of knowing what withdrawal symptoms they might face."  
  
  
"Can we create a cure?" Jasper asks.  
  
  
"If we have a sample of the serum, we could," Monty says.   
  
  
"Even if we had a sample," Raven says from the doorway, "this island doesn't have the resources we'd need to create a cure or a counter-drug to help combat the withdrawal. If the serum was created in a high-tech facility, only a lab that matches those resources can create a remedy."  
  
  
"I have an idea," Clarke says, taking a deep breath. She turns to Bellamy, "But you're not going to like it."  
  
  
"What is it?"  
  
  
She glances at Lincoln before turning back to the group, "I think we should take him to Ark." This is followed by silence. "You heard Raven, only a lab that matches the AGH facility can create a serum. So why not use the resources in Ark itself?"  
  
  
"The other tribes would never allow it," David says.  
  
  
"Then we don't tell them," Clarke says.   
  
  
"Trikru will find out," Bellamy says. He turns to Octavia, "What are the chances Indra will say no to us taking her second to the outside?"  
  
  
Octavia hesitates. "I can't be sure."  
  
  
"I can," Clarke says. "I've seen the way she looks at you and Lincoln, Octavia. Like you're her own. If we explain the situation to her- if _you_ explain it to her- and she sees that this is the only way we can bring Lincoln back, she has to agree."  
  
  
"If the other clans find out we're taking people to the outside world and more than that, that we're making outsiders aware of what's happening on the island, that the island even exists, they'll wage war on Skaikru. The alliance will fall through," Sinclair says.  
  
  
"Then we ask Indra to protect the village," Bellamy says. "Clarke's right. She might be old-fashioned but if this can save Lincoln's life, she'll agree. And if this works, if we can counteract the reaper serum and change all the reapers back to their original forms, the other clans will stand down. They'll get to stop the reapers _and_ get their people back at the same time."  
  
  
"And if it doesn't work?" Miller asks.  
  
  
"Then we hope to god that bringing down the Mountain is more important to them than dishonouring the rules of the island," Bellamy says. He turns to Clarke, "Do you know who the best person is to ask about gathering a team in Ark and finding a cure?"  
  
  
Clarke nods, having already thought carefully about this. "My mother."  
  
  
+++  
  
  
"Clarke, baby, why didn't you tell me all of this?" Clarke knows her mother is upset about the whole thing.   
  
  
"Because I needed to protect my friends. I needed them to trust me, mom," She replies. "And now they want to trust you."   
  
  
"I just- I don't understand," Her mother breathes heavily. "How can- how could we not have known about werewolves? I knew something was going on in Ark but- it just- Clarke, none of this makes any sense."   
  
  
"I know it's hard to take in," Clarke sighs. Wick had met her mother an hour ago and told her everything Clarke had told him. When she promised not to tell anybody else, he set up his radio in her living room and connected her to Clarke. "Trust me, I had a tough time believing what I was seeing but mom, I've _seen_  it. All of it. And it's true. Did Wick tell you about Mount Weather?"  
  
  
"Yes… And- and Cage Wallace and Thelonius and- oh god, Clarke," She knows her mother is distressed and she wishes she could make this easier for her but this isn't about Abby, nor is it much about Clarke, so she powers through because they don't have the luxury of time.  
  
  
"Then you'll know we don't have time to waste," She says. "Mom, can we bring Lincoln to Ark and find a cure for the reaper serum?"  
  
  
"Lincoln is- he's the boy your friends found, right? The one who has been- drugged by Cage Wallace's father? The- Mountain Men?"  
  
  
"Yes. Lincoln is our friend too. And we need to save him," Clarke says firmly. She presses on, "Can we come to Ark? Will you help us?"  
  
  
There's silence for a few seconds and she can imagine the wheels turning in her mother's head. Finally, "Yes. Yes, of course I'll help you."  
  
  
Clarke releases a breath and Bellamy beside her does too. "Okay. Okay, thank you." She spends the next fifteen minutes listing what needs to be done to her mother and Wick and when the conversation is through, she tells her mother she loves her before hanging up. She turns to Bellamy, "Everything will be ready for our arrival in two hours."  
  
  
He nods and stretches his neck from side to side to work out the cricks. "Indra should be arriving now too. O and David have gone to get her."  
  
  
"Do you think she'll agree?"   
  
  
"I fucking hope so," He says, tiredly leaning his hip against the desk next to them.  "I'm glad we found Lincoln but- fuck, this is all so messed up."  
  
  
"I know," Clarke says. "But if this works, then we've found a solution to the reaper problem and we're one step closer to defeating the Mountain."  
  
  
"Bellamy," Miller appears at the door, "Indra's at the medbay." Bellamy and Clarke follow Miller back to where Indra and Octavia are standing by Lincoln's reaper form. They've dosed him with more tranquillisers to keep him sedated. Murphy and Miller stand across them on the other side of the bed Lincoln is on. Monty, Jasper and Raven are at her speedboat by the docks, making preparations.   
  
  
"Indra," Bellamy nods at the other Alpha. "I take it Octavia has told you what is going on."  
  
  
"She has," Indra says. She nods towards Clarke, "You trust her people?"  
  
  
"Without a doubt," Clarke is slightly surprised at the firmness and sincerity in Bellamy's voice.   
  
  
"Then I will do everything in my power to ensure that nobody finds out where you are going and why," Indra says.   
  
  
"What will you tell your council?" Bellamy asks.  
  
  
"That the Alpha of Skaikru and select members of his clan are going to the outside and that I have agreed to it," Indra says. "It is all they need to know."  
  
  
"Won't they ask questions?" Miller asks.  
  
  
"My council knows better than to question their Commander."  
  
  
"If the other clans find out that we have dishonoured the rules of the island and have taken our people to the outside and more importantly, made outsiders aware of this island, they _will_ attack our people," Bellamy says.  
  
  
"And they will be faced with a Trikru army," Indra promises. "No harm will come to your people while you are gone. You have my word." She holds her arm out and Bellamy grips it, his hand enclosing just beneath her elbow and her hand enclosing beneath his, their arms lining up. Octavia had once mentioned to Clarke that a hold like this signifies forces between clans joining together.   
  
  
Indra turns to Octavia, "Be safe, Octavia. I would entrust my people's lives to nobody else but you." Octavia swallows hard and nods before hugging the older lady, who hugs her back, her strict composure dissolving for a few moments.   
  
  
Indra leaves to speak with her council and the group of them gather just outside the medbay.   
  
  
"Celena," Bellamy says, turning to his aunt, "You know what to do if we don't return, or if I don't return." Celena nods. He turns to Sinclair, David, Miller and Monroe who are gathered with them. "We should be back within two or three days. Make sure people are training every day. This is only one step in bringing down the Mountain, we still have a way to go."  
  
  
"Will you be reachable by radio?" Miller asks.  
  
  
"Raven will be able to connect you to Ark through her wired set," Bellamy says. "But if you can't reach us and you need to make a decision, I trust that the council will make the right one. Keep our people safe." They nod at him before they say their goodbyes to the group. After that, they strap Lincoln onto a metal stretcher and transfer him onto the speedboat, where Raven and Murphy are waiting.   
  
  
Bellamy, Octavia, Clarke, Monty and Jasper check their backpacks one final time before preparing to board.  
  
  
"Remember, you have only six more syringes of tranquilliser and two guns with four tranqs each," Raven says. "I've added a silver gun to Bellamy's backpack if need be-"  
  
  
"It won't be needed," Octavia says firmly. "We are not shooting Lincoln with silver."  
  
  
"Just in case you need it, it's there," Raven says, equally firmly. "Who knows who you might face in Ark." Octavia nods acceptingly. "Right. Radio us if you need anything- Wick will know the frequency. And we'll do the same if anything comes up here. But if we don't radio, don't worry about us. Concentrate on your mission."  
  
  
"And bring back a souvenir, won't you?" Murphy says. Raven gives him a small shove. "Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood up." His expression turns a bit more serious. "Be careful. Don't take risks."  
  
  
"Wow, it's almost like our Alpha isn't coming with us," Octavia says, smiling slightly at their friends' concern. "But will do. Same goes for you- be safe, don't take risks." She hugs Raven and squeezes Murphy's arm. He surprises her by pressing a quick kiss into her hair before stepping away and shoving his hands in his pockets, eyes down in slight embarrassment.   
  
  
Raven hugs all of them and Murphy gives them a salute and they board the speedboat.   
  
  
"Monty, you got this, right?" Raven asks, gesturing to the boat. He nods. "Take care of my baby." They smile at her and with a final exchange of goodbyes, they take off into the sea.  
  
  
+++  
  
  
When they arrive at a remote part of the Ark docks, Wick is waiting for them in a mini-van. He climbs out as they pull in and when they disembark, Clarke flies into his arms and he clings on to her tightly.  
  
  
"It's so fucking good to see you," He mumbles before letting go.  
  
  
"Wick, this is Bellamy, Octavia, Monty and you know Jas." Wick hugs Jasper as well and waves hello to the others. They load Lincoln into the van before climbing in themselves. Wick is in the driver's seat, Clarke is in the passenger's seat with Jasper and Monty, Octavia and Bellamy are riding at the back with Lincoln.   
  
  
As they pull into Clarke's driveway, she finds her breath caught in her chest and her heart beating quickly at the sight of her home. She hasn't been back in a month and she isn't entirely sure how she feels either.   
  
  
Abby has the front door open before they're all out of the van. She hugs Clarke and Jasper tightly, tears welling up in her eyes, before her eyes settle on the three strangers who are looking up at the house in awe. Clarke has to remind herself that they've never been outside their village and the island. That the way this town is set up, the houses and streets and trees and lamps- everything is foreign to them. The way she had felt like a fish out of water on the island in her first week there, she imagines they feel the same at that moment.  
  
  
"Come on," She urges everybody, Skaikru and Arkers alike, and they carry Lincoln through the garage and down to the basement. Abby isn't able to tear her eyes away from the wolf and she grips Clarke's arm tightly. They strap him onto the metal mesh table that Wick has quickly thrown together.  
  
  
"Gina and Jackson have set up lab in your father's old study and they're examining the serum in more detail right now," Abby says.   
  
  
"Do you know how long it might take them to find a cure?" Clarke asks, the task sounding burdensome and trying to her own ears.  
  
  
Abby shakes her head, "Honestly, I would expect it to take days. But with the four of us all working on it, we should hopefully make a breakthrough sooner."  
  
  
"Why don't Monty and I give you a hand?" Jasper asks. Abby agrees and Jasper takes Monty up the stairs. She turns to Clarke, Bellamy and Octavia, her eyes darting occasionally to Lincoln. "What's your plan?"  
  
  
"Since the reaper serum acts like a drug, we're hoping that cutting off the supply will mean Lincoln starts normalising again," Clarke replies. "We don't know what the withdrawal symptoms will look like though and how long it'll take for him to stabilise which is why a cure would be ideal. But till we find out, our only choice is to keep him bound. We have three tranquilliser syringes left but we end up using one almost every hour because it wears off him so easily."  
  
  
"Does that mean he'll be howling our neighbourhood awake in four hours?" Abby asks worriedly.  
  
  
"We'll keep him quiet," Bellamy says softly, almost pained. "We'll bind his mouth." Octavia takes a deep steadying breath and strokes the fur by Lincoln's face.   
  
  
"You all probably need some sleep. I've prepared Clarke's bedroom and the two guest bedrooms for all of you if you need."  
  
  
"I think I'm going to stay here," Octavia says.  
  
  
"O-"  
  
  
"Bell, I can't leave him here," She whispers. "Someone needs to watch him in case he wakes up. And if he- maybe if he sees me, he'll start recognising me and start coming to his senses."  
  
  
Bellamy stares at her, just like Abby is doing, before nodding. "Okay. Call us if you need anything. I'll come downstairs after radioing Raven to tell her we've arrived."  
  
  
"I'll be fine," Octavia says.  
  
  
"That may be true but you shouldn't be alone," Clarke says firmly. "You're not doing this alone."    
  
  
Octavia nods and Bellamy, Clarke and Abby go upstairs. They walk through a corridor and reach the living room, where Wick is lounging on the sofa with his eyes closed. They open when he hears them come in and connects Bellamy to the island so that he can tell Raven they've arrived. Raven answers sleepily, making Clarke take a look at the clock hanging above the television. 4:30am. She tells Raven to go to sleep and that they'll be okay until she awakens. She reluctantly agrees, saying that Miller is taking shift for the next two hours, and the line goes dead.   
  
  
"Wick, go home and get some sleep," Clarke says, watching the engineer's eyes fluttering tiredly shut and open again.   
  
  
"No chance," He shakes his head. "I'm staying here with you guys. But I won't say no to the sleep." He lies down across the length of the sofa, using a cushion as a pillow. "Wake me up if you need me," He mumbles before closing his eyes.   
  
  
"I'll go sit with Octavia," Bellamy says, clearing his throat.   
  
  
"There's an old sofa down in the basement," Clarke says. She grabs two cushions off the sofa adjacent to Wick's and hands it to Bellamy. "Take these and I'll bring down a blanket and some food in a few minutes." Bellamy nods his thanks before taking the cushions and heading back towards the basement.   
  
  
Finally, it's just Abby and Clarke.   
  
  
"Are you sure you know what you're doing, Clarke?" Her mother asks softly, hesitatingly. "You trust these people?"  
  
  
She turns to her mother and takes her hand. "I promise you, I trust them with my life."   
  
  
+++

  
When Monty swaps with Bellamy to stay with Octavia in the basement and watch over Lincoln, he takes the empty dishes up to the kitchen. He enters the space to see Abby seated at the kitchen table, looking at something in her hands. She looks up as Bellamy enters and follows his movement to the sink.   
  
  
"Thank you for having us and thank you for your help, ma'am," He says softly before turning to leave, but not exactly sure where he was going to go.   
  
  
"Bellamy," He stops in his tracks and turns around to see her staring at him. "Bellamy, right?" He nods his head. She holds up the object in her hand and he sees that it's the ring they had found on Jake Griffin. "Thank you."  
  
  
"I'm glad we found his family," Bellamy says.  
  
  
"What about your family?" Abby asks. "Your parents?"   
  
  
"I only have Octavia," He responds. "But my people are my family."  
  
  
"You're the… Alpha of your pack, aren't you?"   
  
  
"Yes."  
  
  
"And you're responsible for your people?"  
  
  
"All one hundred and sixty of them," He answers, unsure of where this is leading.  
  
  
She sighs, her eyes pained, "But you're so young."  
  
  
"I had no choice," Bellamy says.   
  
  
Abby stares at him, trying her hardest to understand _how_ and _why_. "I can see why Clarke speaks so highly of you."  
  
  
This takes him by surprise and he opens and closes his mouth, unable to form a response.   
  
  
"She's in her room. Up the stairs, last door on your right," Abby says. He says a quiet thank-you before leaving. Abby stares after his retreating back, wondering what it might feel like to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, as Bellamy Blake clearly does.   
  
  
+++  
  
  
He knocks lightly on the open door and she turns to look at him before offering a small smile as a permission to enter. She's seated on the floor against the side of her bed, facing the large window in front of her. He sits down beside her and drops his head back to lean against the soft mattress.   
  
  
"How's Octavia?" Clarke asks.  
  
  
"Strong. Stronger than I ever could be. She'll pull through. She's just glad Lincoln's alive and that we can save him," Bellamy responds. He turns to look at her, "We can, right? Save him?"  
  
  
Clarke worries her lip between her teeth before nodding slowly. "Yeah, we can. Gina, Jackson and Jasper are three of the smartest people I know besides Raven. If anyone can find a cure for this, it's them."  
  
  
"Do you- miss home?" He asks quietly, turning to face the window again.   
  
  
She hesitates. "This hasn't felt like home since my dad died. I mean- I'm grateful for everything I have here. But… my dad was always the glue in the family. And he was my best friend, other than Wells. I- I always thought I'd have them both forever. They were my home. And now it just feels-"  
  
  
"Empty," Bellamy suggests.  
  
  
"Yeah," She says. "It's awful but," She releases a short laugh, "when Wells came to me with his findings from Thelonius' office, I was a bit excited. I desperately wanted to feel connected with my dad again, you know? 78 days after his death, I had this moment when… I couldn't remember how his voice sounded. And I had a panic attack and I just- how could I forget, right? I found videos of his that he had taken of our family when we went on holidays and I played him speaking over and over again. And all the while, I could feel myself slipping. Further and further out of- control." She sucks in a breath. "And then Wells died and I should've fallen apart." Her tone turns angry. "I should've fallen apart, Bellamy." He turns to look at her. She's swallowing hard and her fists are clenched in her lap. "But I didn't." She releases a long breath.   
  
  
"He wouldn't have been angry that you didn't fall apart," He says softly. She turns to him, her lips pursed together as she struggles to remain composed.  
  
  
"I know. But _I'm_ angry I didn't fall apart. I was as far as I could be from home, but suddenly I'm being swept into another _world_ but instead it felt like things were going to be okay. And that's crazy."  
  
  
"It's okay to feel like you belong somewhere you didn't expect to belong," He says quietly. "You're allowed to move on without feeling like you're betraying your old life. Your father and Wells would want that for you."  
  
  
She takes a slow, deep breath and nods, wondering when in the last four weeks had she and Bellamy become close enough to do _this._ They sit together in silence, staring out at the night sky through the glass window.  
  
  
When Clarke's bedside alarm changes to 7am, she suggests that she should send Octavia upstairs and have her take a shower, freshen up a little bit. Bellamy nods and she leaves, noting that she didn't mind at all that she was leaving him behind in her bedroom, a space that she used to reserve only for those she was closest to. Maybe she still does.  
  
  
She goes down to the basement and manages to convince Octavia to go upstairs and take a shower, reasoning that if she felt fresher, she would be able to take care of Lincoln better. Octavia agrees and Monty takes her upstairs to Abby. Clarke settles onto the sofa with a book, wondering how Raven and the others are doing. She hopes they are getting some much-deserved rest and that Indra's army is protecting their village as promised.  
  
  
It's half an hour before Clarke notices movement from the corner of her eye. She lowers her book and watches Lincoln and in seconds, he moves again. She stands up, placing her book aside, to go over to the case of tranquilliser syringes. There's only one left. She picks it up and readies it before padding over to the metal table.   
  
  
Suddenly, Lincoln is coming alive with a growl and throwing his head around. She jumps back in surprise and he takes the moment to growl and thrash around. She feels sweat beading at her forehead as she steps towards him again, the syringe ready for injection. He's fighting violently against his binds now and she considers calling one of the others but stomps her fear away. If she just reaches out and- one of his limbs have suddenly broken free and he's clawing at the binds of his other arm and in seconds, it snaps. Her palms are sweaty and she surges forward to push the needle into his fur but he throws his body towards her and his paw catches the syringe, flinging it across the room. She watches as it shatters against the floor.   
  
  
Lincoln has his third limb free and he pushes into a standing position, bringing the table crashing down behind him, still attached to his hindlimb. She scrambles away from him backwards, frighteningly aware that the door is behind him and far out of her reach. As Lincoln inches closer to her, teeth bared, she moves further backwards, eyes searching the objects around her for any sort of weapon. She wants to scream for the others but she's afraid it will set Lincoln off and he'll pounce but she's aware that he's close to doing that anyway so she opens her mouth to cry out when the door of the basement is thrown open. She sees somebody running down a few steps, throwing off their t-shirt, before transforming into a large black wolf.   
  
  
Lincoln is pushed to the side as the wolf slides to a stop in front of Clarke in a protective stance. She knows it's Bellamy from the pendant hanging around his neck. He's growling deep from his throat and Lincoln is on his feet facing him, panting heavily. Suddenly three muffled shots are fired and Lincoln falls unconscious. Bellamy and Clarke turn to see Octavia standing at the bottom of the stairs, tranquilliser gun pointed in front of her. Abby is wide-eyed at the top of the stairs at the door and she can see Monty behind her mother.  
  
  
Octavia runs over to make sure Lincoln is completely sedated before turning to Bellamy, who turns to look at Clarke. This is the first time she's seeing him in wolf form from up close. His fur is a jet black and she has always wondered how to tell wolves apart but looking into his dark deep eyes, she knows now.   
  
  
"Clarke, are you okay?" She's snapped out of her thoughts as Abby runs down the stairs but stops halfway, her eyes darting to Bellamy's wolf form.   
  
  
"I'm fine," Clarke says. "But we might need a better way to hold Lincoln."  
  
  
+++  
  
  
Two hours later, Gina asks them to gather in the living room.   
  
  
"Making a cure is going to be difficult but I reckon it can be done by Thursday, in five days time," She says.   
  
  
"That won't be good enough for the other clans if they know we've gone to the outside for this," Bellamy says.  
  
  
"I know," Gina says, surprising him. "Clarke's explained it to me. We can't have a cure ready soon, but we can have something else. We've managed to essentially dilute the serum into what's basically a dummy right now. If it's injected into someone, they'll receive the immediate effect of feeling like they're getting a dose of the reaper serum, but it won't actually have any of the actual drug in it. It also contains some sedative qualities so it should be able to ease Lincoln's withdrawal symptoms, because his body will be tricked into thinking it's receiving the shots when it actually isn't _and_ he'll feel more sedated through it."  
  
  
"More than that," Monty says, "We think we can replace all of the reaper serum vials in Ark Tech with vials of these dummies in time for Tuesday, when Dante's going to come to collect the next shipment. So when he injects his current reapers with them for a reload, he and the reapers will both think everything is as per normal but after around an hour, the reaper will begin to suffer withdrawal. That should be enough till Gina has the cure ready for Thursday, after which injecting the withdrawing reapers will cure them completely and quickly."   
  
  
"There's only one problem," Jackson says. "We need to test the dummy on someone who doesn't already have the drug inside them. We can use it on Lincoln to see it's effects on people who have already been drugged with the reaper serum but if Dante decides to drug somebody new, we need to be sure of what the effects will be."  
  
  
"So we need to test it one of us," Monty says. "We don't have to be in wolf form to test it because it'll have the same effect on humans and wolves. In fact, it would probably be better to test it in human form because if it doesn't have many repercussions on a human, who is more sensitive, it'll have zero to none on a wolf."  
  
  
There's silence for a few seconds as they consider this.   
  
  
"Test it on me." All their eyes snap to Clarke, who has spoken determinedly.   
  
  
"We aren't testing you," Abby's eyes shoot to Bellamy, surprised that she had been beaten at objecting.  
  
  
"Yes we are," Clarke says. "We can't test it on any of you three because if the dummy doesn't work as planned and it affects you, we'll have a second rogue wolf on our hands. If it doesn't work and I'm the one receiving it, you'll be able to control me and make sure I can be safely and quickly taken off it without me causing any damage."  
  
  
"What if it damages _you_?" Abby asks.  
  
  
"Someone _has_ to try it," Clarke says.  
  
  
"She's right," Gina says softly. "It's safer that we test it on a normal human than a werewolf."  
  
  
"And if it works on a human, it'll have the same effects on a werewolf?" Octavia asks.  
  
  
"I'm fairly certain," Gina nods.  
  
  
"Then we test me," Clarke says. "You know this is the best option."   
  
  
"Clarke, are you sure?" Bellamy asks.  
  
  
"She is _not_ doing this," Abby says firmly.  
  
  
"Yes, I am," Clarke says. She looks at Bellamy, "I'm sure."  
  
  
"You're risking your life for these people, Clarke," Abby protests. "People you barely know."  
  
  
"You're wrong," Clarke says. "They're _my_ people, mom."  
  
  
"You don't need to do this, Clarke. You don't need to prove anything."  
  
  
"I'm not doing this because I need to. I'm doing this because I want to. Gina?" Gina nods and goes to the study to retrieve a syringe.   
  
  
A few minutes later, Clarke is seated on one of the dining table chairs and Wick is looping a rope around her waist and the back of the chair and knotting it. He squeezes her shoulder.  
  
  
"You ready?" He asks. She nods. Abby opens her mouth but closes it and turns away. Gina brings the needle of the syringe to the crook of Clarke's right elbow.   
  
  
Clarke swallows hard, the gravity of the situation settling deep in her knotted stomach, and ducks her head slightly, breathing heavily. She glances up to see Bellamy on her left and she allows her fear to take over for a moment, her left hand shooting out, fingers searching. Bellamy's larger hand encloses hers firmly. As she clings on tightly, Gina pierces her skin with the needle and injects the serum into her system.  
  
  
+++  



	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thank you for all your views/hits and such on the last chapters! It's all meaning so so much to me. Big shout-out to Thereader0303, fangirlFiona, Adriana and Nerd_Isabel for commenting on almost every chapter with such encouraging words! And of course to every one else as well- I see you all and I'm sending a big hug over. Enjoy this one! xx

For the first five minutes, Clarke feels dizzy and as if her system is on absolute overdrive. If not for Bellamy's grip on her hand, tightening with every minute that ticks by, she would have lost her bearings entirely. Once the initial few minutes have passed, she feels her breathing returning to normal and her heart begins to slow down. Wick unties her after ten minutes and she slumps into the sofa instead, only half-consciously bringing Bellamy with her. Octavia and Monty go downstairs to watch Lincoln and after a series of questions, Gina, Jasper, Jackson and Abby return to the study to continue working. Wick sits across Clarke on the coffee table and Bellamy sits beside her.   
  
  
"You okay?" Wick asks worriedly.  
  
  
"Yeah, just feel tired- it's probably the sedatives in the serum," Clarke mumbles.  
  
  
"At least the dummy was successful," Bellamy says.  
  
  
"I can already hear Lexa forgiving us," She responds with a smile and he breathes out a laugh, nodding. They glance up as Gina announces she's going to give Lincoln the dummy to help speed up and ease his withdrawal and they nod.  
  
  
"I should, uh- be there," Bellamy says. "Just in case something happens." Clarke nods in agreement but when he doesn't move, she looks at him and then registers that she's still hanging on to his hand. Her cheeks grow warm and she pulls her hand away quickly, mumbling a _sorry._ He leaves Clarke looking embarrassed and Wick looking cheeky.  
  
  
" _So_ ," He says, dragging out the 'o'.  
  
  
"So what, Wick?" She asks, narrowing her eyes.   
  
  
He raises his hands in surrender. "Nothing. I'm just saying that it was his hand you reached for and not anyone else's."  
  
  
She crosses her arms across her chest defensively. "He was the closest one to me."  
  
  
Wick releases a loud bark of a laugh. "I was right next to you too!"  
  
  
"You- weren't in reaching distance," Clarke splutters. "You are reading way too much into this, Wick. He and I are the least compatible. Do you know what an asshole he was to me when I was found on the island?"  
  
  
"Yeah and yet you look at him now as if he hangs the moon every night."  
  
  
"He kind of does for his people," Clarke protests.  
  
  
"You're not denying that you look at him like's something dropped from heaven."   
  
  
Clarke sighs heavily and rubs her forehead. "He's… different, okay?" She says softly. "He carries the weight of the world on his shoulders and- it hasn't changed him. He's still good. And kind. And he cares so deeply for his people."  
  
  
Wick is quiet and when she looks up at him he smiles softly, nodding in understanding. "You're his people too."  
  
  
She shrugs. "I don't know if we're there yet but- yeah, maybe I'd like that."   
  
  
+++  
  
  
Three hours later, two things happen. The first, Lincoln transforms naturally back into his human form. Abby and Jackson quickly tend to any wounds he has but mostly, he looks like he's going to be just fine. Octavia cries in relief and Clarke feels like she is close to doing so too. But then Wick is calling out to them that Raven is on the radio and she and Bellamy race upstairs to receive the call. She says that Indra was injured in a reaper attack on Trikru village and that Lexa is threatening to storm the Skaikru village if they cannot explain themselves going to the outside and if they cannot tell her how the silver gun tests went. Raven is scared if she tells them that the silver guns work, she'll take them by force and go after the reapers with her army. She won't listen to them and since Indra is seriously injured in her village, tensions are running high between the three clans. It would be best if Bellamy returned immediately and Indra is requesting for Octavia to come see her as soon as possible too.   
  
  
"Lincoln isn't ready to go back yet," Octavia says when Bellamy relays the information to her, saying they needed to return to the island. "He isn't entirely stable and the last thing we want is him going rogue again, especially since we're using him as evidence that we can rescue the reapers."  
  
  
Bellamy considers the options before speaking, "We leave him here then." Octavia opens her mouth to protest but he continues over her, "We have to, O. We'll have Monty stay here with Clarke and Jasper so that they have a wolf who can fight should they need one against Lincoln. We'll leave the guns behind as well. And they have Gina, Jackson and Abby working on replicating the dummies. If need be, they can inject sedatives into him. We can't bring him back with us but you and I have to go home."  
  
  
"I'm not going anywhere without Lincoln," Octavia says.  
  
  
"O, Indra _needs_ you there. She's injured and she doesn't have her second. If she's asking for you, it has to be important," Bellamy argues. "We both are needed back on the island. Our people need us."  
  
  
Octavia squeezes her eyes shut before opening them and nodding. "Okay. Clarke, you'll be okay with Lincoln?"  
  
  
Clarke nods firmly. "We'll take care of him, I promise. And as soon as I see he's ready, we'll bring him home."  
  
  
"Make sure your team here knows what to do over the rest of the week as well," Bellamy says. "And call us if you need anything at all."  
  
  
"I will," Clarke promises. "You too."  
  
  
Wick says Clarke can borrow his speedboat on the way back to the island and drives Bellamy and Octavia back to Raven's. Before leaving, Abby hesitates before hugging Octavia and holding tightly to Bellamy's arm. She tells them to be careful and looking as surprised as Clarke feels, they thank her for everything and leave.   
  
  
Gina, Jackson, Abby and Jasper work tirelessly in the lab on the serums while Clarke and Monty sit in the basement, tranquilliser gun right beside them. Lincoln awakens two hours later and Clarke gets him a glass of water, which he sits up and drinks, his legs still bound to the table. Once the glass is empty, he sits with his head in his hands and when Clarke sees his back heaving slightly and a drop of water fall from his shielded face onto his lap, she puts her arms around his back and hugs him. He lifts his head, eyes wet and thanks Clarke with a kiss into her hair.  
  
  
"It was nothing," She says firmly, shaking her head.   
  
  
"It was everything, Clarke," He says. Abby walks in just then to inform Clarke that they think they've got the dummy serum perfected and seeing her patient awake and speaking, she goes up to him tentatively.  
  
  
"Abby Griffin," She says, holding her hand out after a moment of hesitation.  
  
  
"Lincoln," He replies, shaking her hand. "I will forever be in your debt, Dr.Griffin."  
  
  
Clarke wants to hug her mother when Abby smiles at him warmly and says, "We're just glad you're okay."   
  
  
She does hug her when they are in the living room soon after.   
  
  
"They're just kids," Her mother sighs, rubbing her temple. "The lives they must lead in their village…"  
  
  
"It's their home, mom," Clarke says.   
  
  
"What about all the people that are dying, Clarke?" Abby asks with feeling.  
  
  
Clarke considers her response. "In my first week there, I operated on a boy named Sterling who had been shot in the stomach. I couldn't save him."   
  
  
"Oh, Clarke..."  
  
  
"And it tore me up. Bellamy told me that he's not the first person to die in the village and he won't be the last. But if we let this defeat us, then the Mountain Men win. Their spirit is what keeps them alive. They _fight_."  
  
  
Abby is quiet for a few moments before breathing in deeply. "I suppose since I've never been there, I'll never really know what you mean."  
  
  
"But seeing these people here- fighting for their friend and for this cause- you can see where I'm coming from, right?" Clarke has never been so desperate for her mother to _understand_ than in that moment.  
  
  
Abby nods shortly. "Perhaps… in time if I get to know them better." She looks up at Clarke, "I have a feeling this won't be the last time I see them."  
  
  
Clarke accepts that this is as far as her mother was going to go and she hoped that, as Abby said, with time she would get to know them like Clarke did.   
  
  
+++  
  
  
While Bellamy retreats into the council room with Lexa and Illian, Octavia transforms and runs to the Trikru village to see Indra. Upon reaching their village entrance, she shakes the black cloth and sword strapped to her back onto the floor and transforms back into her human form. She grabs the cloth with practiced fluidity and wraps it around her body, securing the two ends of the cloth together behind her neck like a halter-styled dress. She then fashions the strap that was holding the cloth and weapon into a holster and straps her sword back into its sheath at her back. People wave to her and greet her as she walks through the village while some of the younger members of the clan run up to hug her, having not seen her in a few days. Some ask her whether she has news about Lincoln and she promises them that he'll be back soon.   
  
  
Indra's small hut has its door open when she arrives, telling Octavia that she is expected. She walks in to see Indra half-sitting on her low straw cot, staring up at the ceiling. She notices Octavia and sits up straighter.   
  
  
"Indra," Octavia breathes, kneeling beside her mentor. "How did this happen?"  
  
  
"Reapers attacked our village this morning. A group of them got to me before anyone had a chance to react," Indra says angrily. It is not often she is taken by surprise or worse, is unable to defend herself.  
  
  
"Did it look planned?" Octavia asks, wondering if the Mountain Men had found a way to control the reapers.  
  
  
But Indra shakes her head. "They were completely rogue, unaware of where they were going."  
  
  
"Indra, we have found a way to stop them," Octavia says. "To turn them back to their normal selves."  
  
  
"I'm glad to hear that," Indra nods. "But Octavia, that is not why I have called you here today. I must ask of you something."  
  
  
"Anything."  
  
  
"While I am injured, I cannot lead my army into the war against Mount Weather. While I am injured, Trikru needs a new Alpha," Indra stares right into Octavia's eyes. "You, Octavia. I want you to succeed me in being the next Trikru Alpha."  
  
  
Octavia's mouth parts in surprise, her eyes widening slightly. "I- Indra, I'm not Trikru."  
  
  
"Yes you are, Octavia," Indra says. She reaches out to take her hand. "Because of you, there is no Skaikru and no Trikru. We are Onakru. One clan."  
  
  
"Lincoln is your second," Octavia says, her hands beginning to tremble. Indra grips them and steadies them.  
  
  
"And he too is unable to lead. And even if he was, you know being Alpha is not what he wants," Indra says. "I told you- there is nobody else I would trust with my people's lives but you. Should you accept."  
  
  
Octavia is aware that she's being given the option of saying no. That Indra knows what Bellamy went through when being asked to be Alpha so young.   
  
  
"Even if I were to accept, I don't know how to lead," Octavia says weakly. She _wants_ to do this. But she doesn't know if she can.  
  
  
"Being an Alpha is in your blood, Octavia," Indra says. "But who you choose to lead is up to you. I have trained you to be my second beside Lincoln. I have been training you to take over as Alpha for a while now. If you choose to accept, I have no doubt that you will make a strong and fierce leader."  
  
  
"I can't do this without you and Lincoln."  
  
  
"Lincoln is not dead and I do not plan on dying any time soon," Indra says. "I am not stepping down as Alpha for good, only for the war while I am injured. We, and the entire village, will be beside you the whole time."  
  
  
Octavia takes a deep breath, feeling overwhelmed and exhilarated at the honour Indra is offering her. "Then I accept."  
  
  
The corners of Indra's mouth turns upwards slightly and she nods. "Bring me my war paint." Octavia goes over to the table by Indra's fireplace and brings her a ceramic bowl with black paint inside it. Indra sits up straighter and presses the underside of all her fingers with the paint. She then lifts her hand, Octavia bows her head, and she presses the paint against and around Octavia's eyelids. Two streams of paint drip down each of her cheeks like tear drops and Indra smudges them into her skin and they stop halfway down her cheeks. "Your ascension ceremony will take place tomorrow morning." Octavia swallows hard, feeling her heart thundering in her chest. "Octavia kom Trikru, you will be the next Commander."   
  
  
+++  
  
  
At 11:30pm that Sunday night, Wick takes Clarke, Jasper, Monty and Lincoln to his speedboat at the Ark docks. They had bid Abby goodbye, Clarke hugging her tight and promising her that they'll contact her soon and Abby promising that they'll have a cure ready soon.   
  
  
Wick asks Jasper to help him prepare the speedboat for the journey while Monty, Lincoln and Clarke wait at the docks. The sound of vehicles pulling up in the street by the docks distracts Clarke and she ducks behind a bench to watch what is happening. She sees that there's a truck parked in a dark street near the lighthouse and that a second truck is reversing in front of it, their cargo holds facing each other. Two men climb out of the truck in the alley and one climbs out of the drivers seat of the truck that has just pulled up. They open up their respective cargo doors but wait without doing anything else. One looks down his watch and says something to the others but Clarke can't catch what it is. Finally, they exchange a glance before shrugging and climbing into the hold of the parked truck. They unload a large box and Clarke swears she can see movement from between the metal bars. Could it be-?  
  
  
"Clarke," She glances over her shoulder at Monty, who has spoken with urgency. He's staring at something on one of the piers near them and she turns around to see that a man in full black attire has a knife to Lincoln's throat, the blade pressing dangerously close to his skin. He's using his other hand to hold Lincoln's arms behind his back. Clarke withdraws the gun from the holster at her thigh and points it at the man in half a second.  
  
  
"I came down here to supervise the exchange," The man says, nodding towards the trucks, "but imagine my surprise when I see that a group from the island is already here."   
  
  
"He's from the Mountain," Monty says. He doesn't have a weapon on him and glances down at his backpack on the floor where he has a gun stashed.  
  
  
"Don't even think about it," The mountain man says, the blade now pressing against Lincoln's throat. "Does somebody want to tell me what you're all doing here and how this guy," He nods at Lincoln, "is not a reaper anymore?"  
  
  
Clarke's eyes flick to the trucks, where the men are loading another cage onto the truck that had pulled up. If she could get a look at one of their faces, or the number plate of one of the trucks, Wick could track them down.   
  
  
"Speak," The Mountain Man spits and Clarke looks back at them to see that he's drawing blood now.   
  
  
Clarke flicks the safety off her silver gun, pointing it steadily at the Mountain Man. She hears the metal doors of the cargo holds slide shut behind her.   
  
  
"Clarke, your people need you," Lincoln says through gritted teeth. He knows that this is her one chance to get information about the people who are taking the Ark werewolves. The ones working for Cage.   
  
  
The trucks turn their engines on and she can hear them pulling out of the street.  
  
  
"You are my people," She whispers before pulling the trigger. The bullet goes right through the man's head and Lincoln is pulling swiftly out of his grip before the blade can do any damage. Blood splatters across his face and neck and the man slumps to the floor, dead, as Clarke spins around to see the trucks disappearing into the distance.   
  
  
"We have to get out of here," Clarke says, aware that the gun Raven had given them wasn't a silencer. "Someone must have heard the shot." Wick and Jasper appear as if on cue, eyes wide and questioning, as they take in the scene in front of them. "Lincoln, Jasper- take the body onboard the boat. We'll throw him into the water once we're far out enough. Wick, show Monty how to operate the boat now. We don't have time." Everyone flies into action, doing as she asked, and within minutes, they're speeding towards the island while Wick drives back to Abby's.  
  
  
They arrive at the island two hours later sans body of the dead mountain man. When they pull into the Skaikru docks, Bellamy, Octavia and Raven are waiting for them.   
  
  
As soon as Lincoln steps off the boat and onto the pier, Octavia has thrown her arms around his neck. He hugs her tightly, burying his face into her shoulder and hair, breathing deeply. He's apologising to her softly and she's shaking her head, clinging to him. When she pulls away, he lifts his hand to run the pad of his thumb against the black war paint around her eyes. He smiles and leans forward to kiss her.   
  
  
They head to the workstation to update each other on everything that had happened in the day. Lexa and Illian agreed to stand down as long as Lincoln returned within the next day with proof that their way of stopping and turning the reapers would work. Octavia says that Indra was injured and had appointed a new Alpha but didn't say anything else but it was apparent there was more. She glances at Bellamy and they know it's something she needs to talk to him about before telling anybody else.   
  
  
An hour later, Clarke steps out of her bathroom, drying her hair with a cloth, to find Bellamy waiting outside her bedroom.   
  
  
"Hey," She says. "Everything alright?"  
  
  
"Yeah," He replies. "I need to speak to Octavia but I wanted to tell you that… I heard what you did for Lincoln. How you gave up the chance to find out who was working for Cage and even possibly saving the lives of those werewolves being transferred, and saved Lincoln instead."  
  
  
"We save who we can save today," Clarke echoes the words she had once heard Bellamy tell Miller. "And this isn't the last chance we'll have to find out who is behind Cage in Ark. We'll just keeping looking till we find something."  
  
  
He nods, hesitating, before saying softly, "I'm sorry you had to take a life today. I know how much that can weigh on someone."  
  
  
Clarke purses her lips and feels her stomach churn at the thought of the bullet ripping through the man's head. "I did what I had to do to save my friend. Just like I did for Monty." Two friends saved, two lives taken.   
  
  
"Thank you. And… no matter what the council decides, no matter what the other Alphas say- we're going to make sure that the Ark wolves make it out of this alive. I promise you, we won't rest until they're safe too."  
  
  
The surprise is evident on Clarke's face. "I thought you said you always put your people first."   
  
  
Bellamy doesn't take his eyes off her's as he says, "You are my people." She feels her heart skip a beat. "And if those in Ark are yours, then they're ours too."  
  
  
+++


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I'm so so sorry that it has taken me SO long to update with the next chapter! I'm back to University now and it's been crazy busy so far D: But I've had a moment finally to just relax so I'm updating now! Hopefully I'll have the next one in soon but if not, please forgive me and be patient with me! I won't give up on this story, it has so much to give and I've literally got detailed plans ready for the next few chapters. Thank you so much for coming back to this and for new readers, welcome! Please do leave a kudos/bookmark or comment if you have a second and find it worthy enough! Much love to you all and hope you're doing well xx

Once Clarke wishes him goodbye and retreats into her room, Bellamy knocks on Octavia's half-open door. She's sitting talking quietly with Lincoln and when he enters after her _come in_ , she asks him if he'd like to go to the pier with her. When he agrees, she kisses Lincoln and he remains in her room while the siblings go down to the pier and sit at the very end, legs dangling down and toes a few short centimetres above the surface of the water.  
  
  
Bellamy takes in his sister's nervous expression and tense posture and asks, "Is everything okay, O? You're worrying me."  
  
  
She turns to him and goes straight to the point, "Indra asked me to step in as Trikru Alpha while she's injured. She wants me to be their next Commander."  
  
  
Bellamy smiles softly at her and raises his hand to stroke the black painted skin beneath her eye. "I didn't think this was for nothing. It would make sense, considering what a brilliant warrior you are."  
  
  
"You're not surprised that Indra chose me?" Octavia asks, her own surprise evident.  
  
  
"I had my suspicions that she was training you that hard so that one day you would take after her. And then when you started being able to communicate with Trikru wolves as well as our own… There was no reason for her not to choose you."  
  
  
"You're not angry?" Octavia asks, her voice small.  
  
  
He breaths out a laugh. "Why would I be angry? A bit sad that you have to start so young, like I did, but there's no reason for me to be _angry."_  
  
  
_"_ Indra said I would only take over while she was still injured. She'll return to post once she's better," Octavia quickly explains to ease her brother's worry. "I thought you'd be angry because being the Trikru Alpha would mean I can't stay here anymore… and I can't be your second anymore."  
  
  
He laughs again, shaking his head. "Octavia. Skaikru village or Trikru, you will always have a home with me." Tears spring to her eyes and he reaches out to grasp her hand. "And you were never my second. You were never my shadow. You were always more. You were always better than me. You deserve to be Alpha, it doesn't matter which clan for." Octavia scoots closer to her brother and leans her head against his shoulder.   
  
  
"If mom knew that both her children became Alphas of two different clans, she'd be so proud," She says softly.   
  
  
He squeezes her hand as they watch a star shoot across the night sky. "She knows, O. She knows."  
  
  
+++  
  
  
Octavia's ascension happens first thing the next morning. Octavia goes to the Trikru village at the crack of dawn and once the sun is up, the entire clan is gathered in their common grounds, a large space on the other side of their village big enough to fit every member of the clan and some others. The some others, in this case, were a few members of Skaikru. For the first time in the history of the island, the ascension of the Alpha of one clan was attended by members of another clan.   
  
  
A small wooden platform had been raised at the front upon which first Indra, supported by Lincoln, appears. She speaks a few words in Trigedaslang and Octavia walks onto stage. Bellamy's breath is caught in his throat and Celena reaches out to grasp his hand. Octavia is dressed in a long black gown that touches the floor. Her hair is in intricate braids and tied back in a single high ponytail. Across her left shoulder is slung a grey cloth, which Monty tells Clarke is the colour denoting a warrior. Behind Indra, Lincoln and Octavia stand three individuals, all much older than Octavia, and Raven informs Clarke that this is the rest of the Trikru council.   
  
  
Nyko steps forward and passes Indra a crimson cloth with a golden border. Indra then goes over to Octavia, who is standing facing the crowd, her back ramrod straight. Indra places the red cloth over Octavia's right shoulder and then knots the two ends of the cloth at her left hip so that it is crossing her body like a sash. Indra then places her hands on Octavia's shoulders and mumbles something to the younger girl, making Octavia breathe out a laugh and relax her shoulders, nodding. The crowd seems to smile at this and relaxes with her.  
  
  
Nyko steps back and the next councilman steps forward. He passes Lincoln a brown bowl which he holds out towards Indra. She places all her fingers into the bowl and when she pulls her hands out, they are coated with black paint. Octavia tips her face downwards slightly as Indra reaches up and presses the paint around Octavia's clean eyes. Octavia keeps her eyes shut as Indra then uses three fingers on each hand and draws three lines from Octavia's hairline, through her eyelids and down to just beneath her cheekbones.   
  
  
Lincoln passes the bowl back to the councilman, who steps back. The next councilwoman steps forward, a dagger in her hand. She passes it to Indra and supported by Lincoln, she walks to the front of the platform with Octavia. Octavia holds her palm out and Indra slices it, making Bellamy suck in a breath. Octavia then clenches her hand into a fist and holds it out in front of her. As the blood drips from her palm and onto the ground beneath the platform upon which the clan stands, Indra begins to recite an oath in Trigedasleng, which Octavia repeats.  
  
  
"Aw, Bellamy, you gonna cry?" Raven whispers with a cheeky smile at Bellamy.   
  
  
Murphy, who is standing between Raven and Bellamy snorts a laugh out but then looks slightly more serious. "Forget Blake, I think _I'm_ gonna cry. Who'd have ever thought?"  
  
  
"Little Octavia, I still remember her running through the village square chasing butterflies," Celena whispers, tears in her eyes. "Aurora would be so proud."   
  
  
Octavia finishes reciting the oath and lowers her arm, taking one step back. Finally, Lincoln moves back to stand beside Nyko and Indra comes to stand by Octavia. She takes the string necklace from around her own neck and Octavia bows her head. Indra places the Alpha's necklace around Octavia's neck and the triangular pendant with the Trikru symbols come to rest near her heart.   
  
  
"Octavia kom Trikru," Indra announces, taking two steps behind, "Your next Commander." And then every member of the clan is dropping to one knee or bowing their heads.   
  
  
"I'm so glad we don't have to do this in Skaikru," Murphy mumbles and from the expressions on the others' faces, Clarke can see they agree.   
  
  
But from where Clarke is standing on the side, she takes in all the Trikru members' smiling faces, the children looking excited while grinning and pointing at their new Alpha, and she knows that these people do not mind. Bellamy was most nervous because he wasn't sure how the clan would react to a Skaikru member becoming their new commander but from what she can see, Octavia is as much Trikru as she is Skaikru. And Bellamy had nothing to worry about. As the crowd rises again and they begin to cheer, Octavia breaks into a grin and looks over to them from her place on the platform. Her eyes meet her brother's and when Clarke looks over to him, she doesn't think she's ever seen him look prouder.  
  
  
+++  
  
  
When Tuesday night comes around, Clarke waits impatiently by the radio for Wick to call. When he does, it's ten past eleven and Gina is with him.  
  
  
"Clarke?" Wick's voice comes through the radio. She grabs it and responds.  
  
  
"I'm here. What do you have for me?" Raven stops what she's doing and turns to listen too.  
  
  
"We were waiting by the docks and as expected, Dante Wallace turned up with another Mountain Man. Cage met him at the docks with a truck full of weapons, surgical instruments and what they think is a fresh batch of reaper serum."  
  
  
"Any chance you messed with the weapons?" Clarke asks hopefully.  
  
  
"Unfortunately not," It's Gina who responds. "But we replaced every single vial of reaper serum with the dummies."  
  
  
"How did you manage to do that without being caught?" Raven asks.  
  
  
"I managed to get to two of the five people working under Cage on the serums. They're being blackmailed into helping him and he's been paying them a heck load of money for it," Gina says. "But I've been friends with them for years and when they heard that what they were creating was doing a lot of harm, they eventually gave in and let us in to replace the vials on their shift at the lab two hours ago. It was a quick and tense half-hour but we managed."  
  
  
"Was my mom there?" Clarke asks, unsure if she wants to know the response.  
  
  
"Every step of the way," Gina says proudly. "She's all in, Clarke. She's risking her career for this."  
  
  
Clarke smiles slightly, feeling a swell of affection for her mother. "I know I shouldn't be glad to hear that but-"  
  
  
"You have no idea how fucking awesome it is to see Abigail Griffin, the world's biggest stickler for rules, being the one to break all of them," Wick says and Clarke and Raven laugh while they can hear Gina chuckling in the background. "One more thing. I followed up the lead you gave me on the trucks pulling up at the docks. The four of us did some snooping around and turns out Cage has set up a couple of posts around Ark from where his men kidnap werewolves from. They keep them in soundproof trucks at the posts until a truck can do its rounds late at night and pick up the cages and bring them all to Ark Tech."  
  
  
"So the werewolves are being held at Ark Tech then?" Clarke asks.  
  
  
"I'd bet on it," Gina says.   
  
  
"How have they not been reported as missing persons?" Raven asks. "Surely someone's picked up on the fact that kids are going missing."  
  
  
"You'd be surprised at how much gets covered up when the mayor of the town is in on it," Gina says. "Thelonius is helping Cage run a really tight operation."  
  
  
"Clarke, I think it would be a good idea to bring Marcus Kane in properly," Wick says. "He would be able to tell us more about if people are filing missing persons reports and maybe what they might know about all this."  
  
  
"Can he be trusted?" Raven asks to both Clarke and Wick.  
  
  
Clarke nods. "He's been a friend of my family's for years."  
  
  
"So is Jaha," Raven scoffs.  
  
  
"True, but Kane's a good guy," Wick says. "And he and Abby are quite close."  
  
  
Clarke isn't sure she wants to dwell on the implications of that. "I think we can trust him too. Having the chief of police on our side would be a huge plus. Speak to my mom about it- see what she thinks. If you guys think it's a good decision, I trust you'll know what to do."  
  
  
"We'll keep you updated," Gina says. "We're also making progress on the cure. Now that the two scientists who were working for Cage have basically turned on his cause, we have way more insight on the serum with their intel. We should have it ready for you on Thursday, as promised."  
  
  
"Fucking amazing team you've got there, Griffin," Raven says impressed.  
  
  
"From what we've heard, you aren't so bad yourself, Raven," It's Gina who speaks and Clarke sees a blush creep onto Raven's cheeks. "We're all big fans."  
  
  
"Oh, stop it," Raven says, rolling her eyes but Clarke can tell that she's touched.   
  
  
"Are you flirting with her?" They hear Wick demand.  
  
  
"No!" Gina protests. "Clarke, we're going to hang up now! Talk soon, love you."  
  
  
"Love you too," Raven throws in cheekily and Wick bursts out laughing and the line abruptly gets cut off.  
  
  
"What is up with your friends and flirting with me, jeez Griffin," Raven states, raising her eyebrows.  
  
  
"I can see why that would be of interest to them," Clarke shrugs, smiling softly. “You are kind of amazing."  
  
  
"Not you too," Raven laughs. "Keep your interests with dark-haired boys with freckles."  
  
  
Clarke splutters for a few seconds, her mouth open and Raven reaches out to close it. "I have no idea what you're talking about."  
  
  
"Okay, babe." Raven says before turning back to her work.  
  
  
+++  
  
  
When Thursday comes around, Monty and Jasper take Wick's boat to Ark to collect the Reaper Cures that Gina has radioed over saying is ready for testing. Over the past two days Lexa, Illian and Octavia had frequented the Skaikru council room to talk strategies over with Bellamy. On thursday afternoon, Bellamy calls for a council meeting. Miller has taken Octavia's place on the council and Clarke is invited to update them about Ark.   
  
  
Once the initial updates are complete, Bellamy clears his throat. "The Alphas and I have finalised a plan to take down the Mountain. However, we cannot go ahead with it as long as the acid fog is an option the Mountain has. We won't just be able to take the Mountain from the route cleared by the Reapers, we'll need to attack from all sides. But as soon as we step into their territory, their acid fog will wipe us out. It needs to be disabled. Maya says that it's powered by a huge facility inside the mountain, accessible from just inside the dam. She says she doesn't know how to disable it herself but she can get one of us in who can do it."  
  
  
"Raven, Sinclair or Monty are the only ones who'd be able to," Celena says.  
  
  
"Actually, Raven's been working on it. Maya gave her a basic rundown of how it works and she's been trying to figure it out."  
  
  
"Raven can't go inside the Mountain with her leg," Clarke says.  
  
  
"I know," Bellamy says. "Which is why Maya's going to get me inside and Raven's going to talk me through it."  
  
  
"Wouldn't it make more sense for Sinclair to go? Or Monty?" Jason asks.  
  
  
"Sinclair and Raven both have roles on the day we take down the Mountain. Monty's a good option but that's not all he would have to do when he's inside. He would have to release the army captured inside and inform them of the battle that's going to come. They will trust only an Alpha."  
  
  
"Will they trust a Skaikru Alpha?" Miller asks. "They aren't exactly our biggest fans."  
  
  
"They will have to trust me if I bring the Alpha symbols of the other clans. Lexa, Ilian and Octavia have all agreed to give me their seconds' necklaces to take with me as a symbol of our alliance," Bellamy says. "I'm the only one who can deliver them, the only one they'll trust. It has to be me. The plan is for me to go in tomorrow night. Lincoln knows a fairly safe passage to the Mountain through Reaper territory and Maya said we can plan things in detail over radio tomorrow while her father's gone from their quarters."  
  
  
"Do we get to vote on this plan you've made without letting anybody else know?" Celena asks looking torn.  
  
  
"No," Bellamy says. "I'm sorry I didn't tell anyone but this isn't a negotiable plan. It's going to happen."  
  
  
"Your people need their Alpha," Miller says.  
  
  
"Not if their Alpha can do more elsewhere," Bellamy replies. "And they have all of you," He looks between the people in the room. "I trust that you can do this without me."  
  
  
"If you're caught by the Mountain Men," Celena says, her fists clenched, “they will drain you for your blood and kill you, Bellamy."  
  
  
"Then I'll be careful."  
  
  
"My sister would never forgive me if I let you do this."  
  
  
"Yes she would. Because she always said to put our people first and she would have done the same," Bellamy says. "She would understand so I need you all to do so too. This is the best option we have so I am asking you to please let me do this."  
  
  
"If we disagree, will it stop you?"  
  
  
Bellamy stares at Miller for a moment before shaking his head.   
  
  
Miller clenches his jaw before telling his best friend, "If you don't come back alive, I'll kill you myself."  
  
  
+++  
  
  
Bellamy finds Clarke that night in Raven's workstation by the radio, having just got off the line with her mother. She's got dark circles beneath her eyes and she's staring dazedly at the wall. He clears his throat at the doorway and she snaps out of her thoughts to look at him.   
  
  
"You were quiet at the council meeting," He says, going to stand across the table.  
  
  
She's silent, considering her words, before saying, "You can't go into the Mountain. It's too dangerous."  
  
  
His jaw tenses and he leans his forearms against the counter in front of him. "Since I don't take orders from you, I'm going to need a better reason."  
  
  
She stares at him and not for the first time that evening recalls Miller telling her about seeing Monty almost on his deathbed, remembers Octavia collapsing on the floor in tears when Lincoln was taken. "I- I can't lose you too, okay?" She clenches her teeth together and stares at him, knowing she had taken him by surprise but refusing to back down now.  
  
  
He's quiet and stares back silently before coming around the table to her side. She turns to face him and stops herself from sucking in a breath when he reaches out to cover her hand resting on the table with his.   
  
  
"I've already lost the two people I cared about the most in the world. It's not worth the risk- you going in there and putting your life on the line," She says.  
  
  
"I can make it," He says softly.  
  
  
She shakes her head. "What if you _don't_? What happens to your people if you die?" She almost chokes on the last word.  
  
  
"I won't die, Clarke," He says. "And if I do, the council will take care of them. _You'll_ take care of them." She feels his words weigh on her. She had been imagining her life after they took down the Mountain. Wishful thinking, she knew, but she imagined staying in the village. She imagined working in the medbay with Lincoln, going for walks with Monty, learning to shoot with Miller. She knew she would take care of the people in the village if she was allowed to. She just didn't think she'd have to do it without Bellamy.  
  
  
"You can't go," She tries weakly again.  
  
  
"I have to," He says. "It's what my mother would have done."  
  
  
"You don't have to do what your mother did, Bellamy!" She protests, pulling her hand away to cross her arms across her chest.  
  
  
"If it means saving my people and saving more in the process, then I do. You'd do the same. You _did_ the same- with the dummy serum."   
  
  
She squeezes her eyes shut, knowing he's right but wishing he wasn't. "You have to come back," She whispers, opening her eyes and staring at him pleadingly.  
  
  
"I will, I promise," He says. "While I'm gone, I want you to sit on the council with Miller." Her mouth parts in surprise and his eyes flick down to look at her lips before returning quickly to her eyes. "You're smart and you can think on your feet, better than most people I know. They need that. I've already spoken to Celena, she knows to expect you as part of the council hereafter. I've spoken to Octavia and she's agreed to let you join the other Alphas in finalising the plans to take down the Mountain. You, Miller and Octavia will speak on behalf of Skaikru at those meetings and you'll speak entirely for Ark, since you're running the team operating there."  
  
  
"Bellamy-"  
  
  
"Keep Miller close. The others listen to him. Skaikru has always been different from the other clans. We don't appoint temporary Alphas and I don't have a second. We've never really had to go to war so I'm playing this by ear and listening to what my gut's saying and it's saying to trust you. I trust you, Clarke."  
  
  
"I can't-"  
  
  
"Yes, you can. You already have," Bellamy interjects gently. "We have achieved more in the past three weeks against the Mountain because of you and because of your team in Ark. The only way we're going to pull this off is together. Me in Mount Weather and Miller and you leading Skaikru and Ark. Okay?"  
  
  
She stares at him quietly before nodding. "Okay. But Bellamy," She says, the endless possibilities of what could happen once he's inside the Mountain rushing through her mind, "Use your head while you're in there. You lead your people with your heart." She reaches out and presses her palm against his heart. "That's why they fight so hard, that's why they follow you. But when you're in the mountain, the only way that you can survive is if you use this too," she raises her hand to press the pads of her index and middle finger against his temple. He leans slightly into her touch. "Promise me you'll do whatever it takes to stay alive."  
  
  
He nods slowly then firmly. "I promise."  
  
  
"Then I'll see you on the other side."  
  
  
+++


End file.
